HISTORY  OF  GUILFORD. 


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THE 


HISTORY 


G  U  I  L  F  O  R  D , 


CONNECTICUT, 


ITS  FIRST  SETTLEMENT  IN   1639. 


FROM  THE  MANUSCRIPTS 


HON.   RALPH    D.   SMITH. 


ALBANY,  N.  Y. : 

J.    MUNSELL,     PRINTER 

1877- 


TO 


AMOS    SEWARD, 


THIS  HISTORY  OF  HIS  NATIVE  TOWN 


lUsprctfulb 


PREFACE. 


A, 


.MONO  the  manuscripts  left  by  the  late  Ralph  D. 
Smith  Esq.,  who  had  devoted  his  leisure  hours  during 
the  last  forty  years  of  his  life  to  the  study  of  histori- 
cal and  genealogical  subjects,  was  found  an  outline 
sketch  of  the  history  of  Guilford,  written  some  thirty 
years  ago  and  doubtless  laid  aside  with  the  hope  of 
resuming  his  labors  upon  it  when  more  abundant 
materials  should  have  been  collected  for  the  purpose. 
The  history  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  town  was  a 
favorite  subject  of  study.  Although  not  a  native,  he 
showed  an  attachment  to  it  fully  equal  to  that  ever 
shown  by  any  one  to  the  place  of  his  birth.  He  was 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  its  records  and  keenly 
alive  to  everything  that  would  add  to  its  reputation. 
Had  this  historical  sketch  been  filled  up  and  completed 
by  his  own  hands,  it  would  have  undoubtedly  compared 
favorably,  in  accuracy  and  completeness,  with  the  his- 
tory of  any  town  heretofore  written.  Still  it  seemed 
proper  to  save  what  he  had  prepared,  even  in  its  in- 
complete form,  as  something  of  great  value  to  the 
student  of  local  history,  and  as  a  foundation  upon 
which  future  laborers  might  build  a  more  complete 
and  exhaustive  history. 


6  PREFACE. 

There  is  something  exceedingly  attractive  in  the 
history  of  this  town  and  its  good  people,  singularly 
reminding  one  of  what  Halleck,  the  Guilford  poet, 
says  in  his  poem  Connecticut : 

"  View  them  near 

At  home,  where  all  their  worth  and  pride  is  placed ; 
And  there  their  hospitable  fires  burn  clear, 

And  there  the  lowliest  farm-house  hearth  is  graced 
With  manly  hearts,  in  piety  sincere, 

Faithful  in  love,  in  honor  stern  and  chaste, 
In  friendship  warm  and  true,  in  danger  brave, 

Beloved  in  life,  and  sainted  in  the  grave." 

The  editor  has  been  assisted  in  the  preparation  of 
the  manuscript  for  the  press  by  Dr.  Alvan  Talcott, 
and  is  indebted  also  to  Rev.  Lorenzo  T.  Bennett, 
D.D.,  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Banks,  Hon.  Edward  R.  Lan- 
don,  and  others,  for  occasional  assistance,  to  all  of 
whom  he  begs  leave  to  make  due  acknowledgments 

for  the  same. 

L.  H.  S. 

Guilford,  July  i,  1877. 


HISTORY  OF  GUILFORD. 


T, 


HE  original  town  of  Guilford,  including  the  present  towns 
of  Guilford  and  Madison,  stretched  along  the  shore  of  Long 
Island  sound  from  Branford  to  Killingworth,  a  distance  on  a 
straight  line  of  perhaps  nine  or  ten  miles.  June  i6th,  1671,*  a 
committee  found  the  length  of  the  town  from  south  to  north 
to  be  ten  miles,  measuring  from  the  point  of  rocks  at  the  south- 
west of  Guilford  harbor  ;  but,  as  this  point  is  north  of  many 
other  points  on  the  sound,  the  mean  length  of  the  town  may 
be  considered  as  eleven  miles.  The  breadth  diminished  grad- 
ually, although  irregularly,  northwards  until  it  became  only 
about  four  miles  and  five-eighths  of  a  mile.  The  mean  breadth 
may  be  nearly  seven  miles.  The  western  boundary,  separating 
the  town  from  Branford,  was  a  straight  line  from  the  mouth  of 
Stony  creek  to  the  centre  of  Pistapaug  pond,  where  in  a  single 
monument  was  the  corner  boundary  of  the  four  towns  of  Guil- 
ford, Branford,  Wallingford  and  Durham.  This  pond  is  a 
mile  long  from  south  to  north,  and  a  half  a  mile  wide.  The 
northern  boundary,  separating  the  town  from  Durham,  ran  a 
little  north  of  east  from  the  centre  of  this  pond  to  the  western 
branch  of  Hammonassett  river.  The  above  mentioned  com- 
mittee found  the  distance  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  pond  to 
this  branch  to  be  four  miles,  three  furlongs  and  four  rods,  but 
as  the  boundary  commenced  in  the  centre  of  the  pond  the  whole 
distance  must  be  greater.  The  eastern  boundary  passed  down 
the  middle  of  this  branch  to  the  Hammonassett,  thence  down 


1  Guilford  Records,  vol.  I,  page  50. 


8  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

the  middle  of  the  river  to  Dudley's  creek,  whence  it  ran  216 
rods,  50°  ic/  east,  to  West  rock  so  called  on  the  sound. 
This  boundary  separated  the  town  from  Killingworth.  Ori- 
ginally it  followed  the  Hammonassett  to  its  entrance  into  Kil- 
lingworth harbor,  and  one  half  of  the  harbor  was  considered  as 
belonging  to  Guilford  ;  but  the  legislature  of  the  state,  at  an 
adjourned  session  in  December,  1790,  changed  the  line  from 
Dudley's  creek  to  West  rock,  throwing  the  whole  of  the  harbor 
and  a  tract  of  land  east  of  this  new  part  of  the  line  into  Killing- 
worth.  It  was  provided,  however,  that  this  should  not  prevent 
the  town  of  Guilford  from  regulating  the  fisheries  of  oysters  and 
clams  as  fully  as  though  this  alteration  had  not  been  made. 

Before  the  division  of  the  town  in  1826,  Guilford  embraced 
four  located  congregational  societies,  viz, :  Guilford  First  Society 
and  the  society  now  called  North  Guilford  ;  and  East  Guilford 
and  North  Bristol,  now  Madison  and  North  Madison.  Besides 
thetwo  societies  lastmentioned  the  new  townof  Madison  includes 
a  narrow  strip  of  land  previously  a  part  of  Guilford  First  Society, 
running  northward  about  two  miles  from  the  sound.  The 
divisional  line  between  the  two  towns,  begins  at  the  centre  of 
Munger's  island  on  the  margin  of  the  sound  ;  thence  in  a  right 
line  to  the  extreme  point  of  land  between  the  East  and  Neck 
rivers  ;  thence  to  the  channel  of  the  East  river  ;  thence  follow- 
ing the  channel  of  the  East  river  as  far  north  as  the  abutment 
of  Chittenden's  landing  ;  thence  easterly  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  said  wharf;  thence  northeasterly  in  a  right  line  to 
the  parish  line  a  little  south  of  David  Dudley's  dwelling  house, 
where  the  centre  of  the  road  intersects  said  parish  line  j  thence 
on  the  parish  lines  of  East  Guilford  and  North  Bristol,  to  the 
north  line  of  Guilford.  The  whole  original  town,  like  others  in 
the  vicinity  and  country,  was  originally  inhabited  by  Indians, 
who  called  it,  or  at  least  the  western  part  of  it,  Menunkatuck. 
They  were  numerous  on  the  great  plains  south  of  Guilford 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  9 

borough,  as  appears  from  the  vast  masses  of  shells  which  they 
brought  upon  it  and  which  are  mouldering  to  this  day  ;  and 
considerably  numerous  in  other  parts  of  the  town  as  the  har- 
bors and  shores  of  the  sound  furnished  them  with  great  ad- 
vantages for  fishing,  and  the  woods  back  for  hunting. 

That  part  of  the  town  which  lies  between  Ruttawoo  (East 
river)  and  Agicomook  (Stony  creek),  constituting  nearly  all 
the  present  town  of  Guilford,  was  purchased  of  the  sachem- 
squaw  of  Menunkatuck  (Shaumpishuh),  the  Indian  inhabitants 
consenting,  Sept.  29,  1639,  by  Henry  Whitfield,  Robt.  Kitchel, 
William  Leete,  William  Chittenden,  John  Bishop,  and  John 
Caffinge,  in  behalf  of  themselves  and  others,  who  (except  the 
said  John  Caffinge  perhaps)  had  come  out  to  New  Haven  the 
same  year,  and  who  were  now  resolved  to  make  a  settlement  at 
this  place.  At  the  time  of  the  purchase  it  was  understood  and 
agreed  that  the  deed  should  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  planters, 
until  a  church  should  be  formed  in  the  town,  to  whom  it  should 
be  given  and  under  whose  superintendence  the  lands  should  be 
divided  out  to  those  who  were  interested  in  them.  The 
articles  given  for  this  tract  were,  twelve  coats,  twelve  fathoms 
of  wampum,  twelve  glasses,  twelve  pair  of  shoes,  twelve  hatchets, 
twelve  pairs  of  stockings,  twelve  hoes,  four  kettles,  twelve 
knives,  twelve  hats,  twelve  porringers,  twelve  spoons,  two 
English  coats.  The  Indians  agreed  to  remove,  and  it  was  gene- 
rally understood  that  they  did  remove  to  Branford  and  East 
Haven.  An  article,  however,  in  the  Guilford  records  suggests 
that  a  number  of  them  were  permitted  to  remain  for  a  time  at 
Ruttawoo.  The  English  settlement  commenced  immediately 
after  this  purchase  on  the  grounds  now  included  in  Guilford 
borough,  the  plain  and  some  lands  near  the  sound  having  been 
cleared  by  the  natives  and  prepared  for  cultivation. 

The  planters  had  not  been  long  in  the  town  before  Mr. 
Whitfield  particularly,  who  had  their  prosperity  greatly  at  heart, 
2 


IO  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

undertook  to  extend  their  territory  eastwards,  and  on  the  2Oth 
of  September,  1641,  he  obtained  of  Weekwosh  of  Pashquishook 
]  a  tract  of  land  called  the  Neck,  extending 
along  on  the  sound,  as  it  was  then  described,  from  East  river  to 
Tuckshishoag  or  Tuxis  pond,  for  the  consideration  of  "  a  frieze 
coat  or  blanket,  an  Indian  coat,  one  faddom  Dutchman's  coat, 
a  shirt,  a  pair  of  shoes  and  a  faddom  of  wampum." 

The  right  of  Weekwosh  to  this  land,  however,  appears  to 
have  been  soon  doubted,  for  on  the  iyth  of  Dec.  following, 
Mr.  Whitfield,  Robt.  Kitchel,  William  Chittenden,  William 
Leete,  John  Bishop,  John  Caffinge,  John  Jordan,  and  the  rest 
of  the  English  planters  of  Menunkatuck  made  a  purchase  of 
Uncas,  sachem  of  the  Mohegans,  which  covered  this  land  and 
extended  northward  through  the  township.  In  the  deed  of 
conveyance  Uncas  declared  himself  to  be  the  sole  owner  of  all 
these  lands,  denied  utterly  the  claim  of  Weekwosh  and  all  others, 
and  accompanied  his  declaration  with  such  circumstances  and 
testimony  as  left  little  doubt  that  the  right  of  sale  was  in  his  line. 
The  consideration  paid  to  Uncas  was  four  coats,  two  kettles, 
four  fathoms  of  wampum,  four  hatchets  and  three  hoes. 

Mr.  Whitfield  was  desirous  of  extending  the  township  still 
further  eastward  and  accordingly  made  repeated  applications  to 
his  friend  Mr.  George  Fenwick  of  Saybrook,  to  convey  to  the 
town  the  tract  lying  between  Tuxis  pond  and  Hammonassett 
river,  which  Mr.  Fenwick  had  previously  bought  of  Uncas.  In 
a  letter  dated  Oct.  22d,  1645,  Mr.  Fenwick  gave  the  tract  to 
Guilford  on  condition  that  the  planters  would  accommodate  Mr. 
Whitfield  with  land  to  his  content,  and  he  was  authorized  to 
hold  the  land  until  the  conditions  should  be  fulfilled.  The 
town  accordingly  made  several  allotments  of  land  to  Mr.  Whit- 
field, which  he  accepted,  and  on  the  zoth  of  August,  1650,  he 
gave  to  the  town  a  deed  of  all  the  right,  title  and  interest  which 
he  had  in  the  lands  given  by  Mr.  Fenwick,  for  the  considera- 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  1  I 

tion  of  .£20  paid  in  wheat,  which  must  be  considered  an  addi- 
tion to  the  allotments.  On  the  ?.oth  of  September  following 
he  also  gave  to  the  town  all  his  right  (whatever  it  was)  to  the 
Neck,  obtained  first  from  Weekwosh,  as  the  town  had  paid  the 
consideration. 

Uncas  probably  claimed  the  two  tracts  just  mentioned  in  virtue 
of  the  conquest  of  the  Pequots  in  which  he  assisted.  They  had 
possessed  either  in  their  own  persons  or  by  their  tributaries  a 
territory  of  very  considerable  extent.  Concerning  the  Indians 
who  dwelt  upon  this  nothing  certain  is  known.  A  stone  with 
a  human  head  and  neck  roughly  carved,  now  lying  in  a  fence 
half  a  mile  northeast  of  Madison  meeting-house,  is  supposed  to 
have  been  used  by  them  as  an  Idol.  Nothing  is  also  certainly 
known  as  to  what  became  of  them  after  the  purchase  of  their 
grounds.  They  may  have  joined  their  brethren,  the  Menunka- 
tuck  Indians  at  Branford  and  East  Haven,  or  the  Hammonassett 
Indians  at  Killingworth,  the  remnants  of  whom  remained  in  that 
town  until  1739  or  1740.  The  latter  supposition  is  the  most 
probable  as  they  appear  to  have  been  the  most  numerous  about 
Hammonassett  river,  where  they  had  cleared  a  large  field  which 
was  easily  cultivated  and  very  productive.  Indian  bones  have 
been  found  near  the  river  and  also  on  the  Neck. 

The  first  settlers  of  this  town  were  adventurers  from  Surry 
and  Kent  near  London,  and,  unlike  their  mercantile  brethren 
who  peopled  New  Haven,  were  mostly  farmers.1  They  had 


1  Their  first  recorded  act  as  a  separate  community  was  the  Covenant,  which  they 
signed  on  ship-board,  while  on  the  passage,  which  was  as  follows  : 

COVENANT. 

We,  whose  names  are  hereunder  written,  intending  by  God's  gracious  permission 
to  plant  ourselves  in  New  England,  and,  if  it  may  be,  in  the  southerly  part,  about 
Quinnipiack  :  We  do  faithfully  promise  each  to  each,  for  ourselves  and  families,  and 
those  that  belong  to  us  ;  that  we  will,  the  Lord  assisting  us,  sit  down  and  join  our- 
selves together  in  one  intire  plantation;  and  to  be  helpful  each  to  the  other  in  every 
common  work,  according  to  every  man's  ability  and  as  need  shall  require ;  and  we 


12  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

not  a  merchant  among  them  and  scarcely  a  mechanic  ;  and  it 
was  at  great  trouble  and  expense  that  they  procured  even  a 
blacksmith  on  their  Plantation.  They  took  much  pains  to  find 
land  like  that  from  which  they  had  removed.  At  first  they 
thought  of  Milford,  but  finally  fixed  upon  Guilford,  because 
they  found  it,  particularly  about  the  town  plat  where  they  first 
settled,  low,  flat  and  moist  land  agreeable  to  their  wishes.  They 
called  the  town  Guilford  in  remembrance  of  Guildford  a 
borough-town,  the  capital  of  Surry,  where  many  of  them  had 
lived. 

About  forty  planters  came  into  the  town  in  1639,  whose 
names  in  consequence  of  a  defect  in  the  records  cannot  be  given 
with  entire  certainty.  There  were  forty-eight  in  1650,  among 
which  are  doubtless  included  the  original  forty.  Their  names 
and  the  date  of  their  admission  as  freemen  are  as  follows : 

Henry  Whitfield. 

Jno.  Higginson. 

George  Hubbard. 

Mr.  Sam' I  Disborow,  May  22,  1648. 

Mr.  Rob't  Kitckell,  "         " 

Mr.  Wm.  Chittenden,  "         " 


promise  not  to  desert  or  leave  each  other  or   the  plantation,  but  with  the  consent  of 
the  rest,  or  the  greater  part  of  the  company  who  have  entered  into  this  engagement. 

As  for  our  gathering  together  in  a  church  way,  and  the  choice  of  officers  and 
members  to  be  joined  together  in  that  way,  we  do  refer  ourselves  until  such  time  as 
it  shall  please  God  to  settle  us  in  our  plantation. 

In  witness  whereof  we  subscribe  our  hands,  the  first  day  of  June,  1639. 
Robert  Kitchell,  John  Stone,  Thomas  Norton, 

John  Bishop,  William  Plane,  Abraham  Cruttenden, 

Francis  Bushnell,  Richard  Gutridge,  Francis  Chatfield, 

William  Chittenden,  John  Hughes,  William  Halle, 

William  Leete,  Wm.  Dudley,  Thomas  Naish, 

Thomas  Joanes,  J°nn  Parmelin,  Henry  Kingsnorth, 

John  Jurdon,  John  Mepham,  Henry  Doude, 

William  Stone,  Henry  Whitfield,  Thomas  Cooke. 

John  Hoadly, 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  13 

Mr.  Wm.  Leete,  May  22,  1848. 

Thomas  Jordan,  "         " 

John  Hodely,  «         " 

John  Scranton,  "         " 

George  Bartlett,  "         " 

Jasper  Stillwell,  "          " 

Alexander  Chatter,  "          " 

John  Stone,  "          " 

Thomas  Jones,  May  22,  1649. 

William   Hall,  "          " 

Thomas  Beits,  "          " 

John  Parmelin,  Sen.,  "         " 

Henry  Kingsnorth,  June  15,  1649. 

Thomas  Cook,  Feb.  14,  1650. 

Richard  Bristow,  u          " 

Jno.   Parmelin,  Jr.,  "          " 

John  Fowler,  June  30,  1650. 

Wm.   Dudley,  "          " 

Richard  Gutteridge,  "          " 

Abraham  Cruttenden,  Sen.,  May  19,  1651 

Edward   Benton,  "          " 

John  Evarts,1  Feb.  5,  1652. 
The  following  names  of  planters  are  given    in    the    original 
Records,  who  had  not  been  admitted  as  freemen  : 
John  Bishop  Sen., 
Thomas  Chatfield, 
Francis  Bushnell, 
Henry  Dowd, 


1  The  name  of  John  Evarts,  which  appears  at  the  bottom  of  the  list  of  names  in 
1650  was  undoubtedly  added  afterwards,  as  it  appears  that  he  did  not  come  to  Guil- 
ford  until  the  next  year,  being  admitted  a  planter  Sept.  4,  1651,  and  sworn  in  a  free- 
man Feb.  5,  1652.  He  purchased  John  Mepham's  allotment  of  Timothy  Baldwin  of 
Milford,  by  deed  dated  July  29,  1651. 


14  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Richard  Hues^ 

George  Chatfield, 

William  Stone, 

John  Stevens, 

Benjamin  Wright, 

"John  Linsley, 

John  Johnson, 

John  Sheader, 

Samuel  Blachley, 

Thomas  French, 

Stephen  Bishop, 

Thomas  Stevens, 

William  Boreman, 

Edward  Sewers, 

George  Highland, 

Abraham  Cruttenden,  Jr. 

Among  the  names  in  the  above  list  John  Higginson,  George 
Hubbard,  John  Fowler,  and  Thomas  Betts  *  were  not  of  the 
original  settlers.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Higginson  came  from  Salem, 
Mass.,  where  his  father  Francis  Higginson  was  the  first  pastor, 
first  stopping  at  Hartford,  afterwards  at  Saybrook  fort,  and  then 
coming  to  Guilford  about  1641.  George  Hubbard  came  from 
Wethersfield  to  Milford  with  Mr.  Prudden  in  1639  on  the  set- 
tlement of  the  last  mentioned  town  and  purchased  the  property 
of  Jacob  Sheaffe  in  Guilford,  Sept.  22,  1648,  who  thereupon 
moved  to  Boston,  Mass.  John  Fowler  also  came  with  Mr. 
Prudden  to  Milford  in  1639,  3nd  is  mentioned  on  the  first  list 
of  planters  made  on  the  settlement  of  that  town,  and  is  supposed 
also  to  have  come  from  Wethersfield.  He  came  to  Guilford 
before  1648,  as  he  is  mentioned  as  early  as  that  time.  John 


1  Thomas  Betts  came  from  Milford,  where  he  was  one  of  the  first  settlers,  in  1639. 
He  afterwards  removed,  1665,  or  1666,  to  Norwalk. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  15 

Mepham  having  died  before  the  lists  were  made,  his  name  is  not 
mentioned,  although  he  was  sworn  in  May  22,  1648.  Henry 
Goldam  appears  to  have  been  here  at  this  time  and  long  after- 
wards but  his  name  is  omitted  from  the  lists  for  some  cause. 
Abraham  Cruttenden,  Sen.,  and  Edward  Benton,  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers,  but  were  not  admitted  freemen  till  after  the 
list  was  made  out,  and  their  names  were  added  at  the  time  of 
their  being  sworn,  May  19,  1651.  George  Hubbard  seems  to 
have  been  received  as  a  freeman  immediately  after  his  coming 
to  Guilford,  and  Mr.  Whitfield  and  Mr.  Higginson  were  pro- 
bably granted  the  privileges  of  freemen  by  courtesy,  as  there  is 
no  account  of  their  being  sworn  in. 

Of  those  who  were  only  planters,  John  Bishop,  Sen.,  was 
one  of  the  original  settlers  and  one  of  the  original  grantees  with 
Mr.  Whitfield  and  others  in  the  deed  from  the  sachem  squaw. 
Thomas  Chatfield  and  George  Chatfield  were  brothers  of  Francis 
Chatfield  (who  was  in  Guilford  as  early  as  August,  1645,  and 
probably  some  three  or  four  years  before  that  time),  who  died 
1646  as  appears  by  the  settlement  of  his  estate  recorded  in  the 
first  volume  of  the  Records^  Oct.  13,  1646.  Benjamin  Wright, 
John  Stevens  with  his  sons  Thomas  and  William  Stevens, 
Henry  Dowd,  William  Stone,  Richard  Hues,  John  Johnson, 
Thomas  French,  Stephen  Bishop,  and  Wm.  Boreman  appear 
to  have  been  here  as  early  as  1646.  Edward  Sewers  and  George 
Highland  came  as  late  as  1651  and  their  names  must  have  been 
added  to  the  list  after  it  was  made  out. 

There  were  many  of  the  original  planters  who  died  or  removed 
prior  to  1650,  whose  names  are  not  on  the  lists.  John  Caffinge, 
one  of  the  first  prominent  settlers  and  one  of  the  original  grantees 
from  the  sachem  squaw,  Thomas  Norton  and  Thomas  Mills 
(who  died  1648),  John  Mepham  (died  1649),  Jonn  Jordan  (died 
1649),  William  Somers  (died  1650),  William  Plaine,  who  was 
here  as  early  as  1645  and  was  executed  about  1648,  Thomas 


l6  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Relf  who  was  divorced  from  his  wife  Elizabeth  Disborow  in 
1650,  leaving  the  plantation  so  that  his  estate  was  settled  as 
though  he  was  dead,  and  his  widow  afterwards  married  John 
Johnson  one  of  the  early  settlers,  October,  1651,  Thomas 
Dunk,  who  was  here  in  1645  but  removed  to  Say  brook  about 
1650,  and  Francis  Austin,1  who  embarked  in  the  Lamberton 
ship  and  was  lost ;  these  are  not  found  on  the  lists. 

The  places  where  most  of  the  original  settlers  first  located 
themselves  are  now  known.  The  noted  Stone  house  of  Mr. 
Whitfield,  said  to  have  been  built  in  1639,  erected  both  for  the 
accommodation  of  his  family  and  as  a  fortification  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  inhabitants  against  the  Indians,  is  supposed  to  be 
the  oldest  dwelling-house  now  standing  in  the  United  States. 
This  house  was  kept  in  its  original  form  until  1868,  when  it 
underwent  such  renovation  as  changed  its  appearance  and  in- 
ternal arrangement  to  a  great  extent,  although  the  north  wall 
and  large  stone  chimney  are  substantially  the  same  as  they  have 
been  for  over  two  centuries.2  It  occupies  a  rising  ground  over- 


1  Francis  Austin  is  supposed  to  be  the  ancestor  of  the  Austins  who  resided  for- 
merly in  the  north  part  of  North  Guilford,  from  whom  descended  Stephen  Austin, 
formerly  of  that  village,  who  figured  so  conspicuously  in  the  history  of  Texas  and 
after  whom  the  city  of  Austin  was  named. 

3  The  following  description  of  the  old  Stone  house,  or  Mr.  Whitfield's  house,  is 
taken  from  a  note  in  Palfrey's  History  of  Nnv  England,  n,  59,  furnished  by  Mr. 
Smith  about  1859,  and  is  descriptive  of  its  appearance  and  condition  at  that  time: 

The  walls  are  of  stone,  from  a  ledge  eighty  rods  distant  to  the  east.  It  was  pro- 
bably brought  on  hand-barrows,  across  a  swamp,  over  a  rude  causey,  which  is  still  to 
be  traced.  A  small  addition,  not  here  represented,  has  in  modern  times  been  made 
to  the  back  of  the  house,  but  there  is  no  question  that  the  main  building  remains  in 
its  original  state,  even  to  the  oak  of  the  beams,  floors,  doors,  and  window-sashes. 
The  following  representations  of  the  interior  exhibit  accurately  the  dimensions  of  the 
rooms,  windows,  and  doors,  the  thickness  of  the  walls,  etc.,  on  a  scale  of  ten  feet  to 
the  inch.  The  single  dotted  lines  represent  fire-places  and  doors.  The  double 
dotted  lines  represent  windows.  In  the  recesses  of  the  windows  are  broad  seats. 
Within  the  memory  of  some  of  the  residents  of  the  town,  the  panes  of  glass  were  of 
diamond  shape. 

The  height  of  the  first  story  is   seven   feet   and  two-thirds.     The   height  of  the 


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HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  1J 

looking  the  great  plain  south  of  the  village  and  commanding  a 
very  fine  prospect  of  the  sound.  It  is  said  that  the  first  marriage 
was  celebrated  in  it,  the  wedding-table  being  garnished  with  the 
substantial  luxuries  of  pork  and  pease.  According  to  tradition 
the  stone,  of  which  this  house  was  built,  was  brought  by  the  In- 
dians on  hand-barrows,  across  the  swamp,  from  Griswold's 
rocks,  a  ledge  about  eighty  rods  east  of  the  house,  and  an  an- 
cient causeway  across  the  swamp  is  shown  as  the  path  employed 
for  this  .purpose.  The  house  consisted  of  two  stories  and  an 
attic.  The  walls  were  three  feet  thick.  At  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  second  floor  there  was  a  singular  embrasure,  com- 
manding the  approach  from  the  south  and  west,  which  was  evi- 
dently made  for  defensive  purposes.  In  the  attic  there  were 
two  recesses  evidently  intended  as  places  of  concealment. 

This  house  was  undoubtedly  the  best  in  the  village  but  not  the 
only  one  built  of  stone.  Jasper  Stillwell,  on  the  lot  northward, 
Rev.  John  Higginson  —  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Whitfield  and  sub- 
sequently of  Salem,  Mass.,  and  Sam'l  Disborow,  the  magistrate 
and  a  relative  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  all  had  stone  houses,  situated 
back  from  the  street  with  door  yards  in  front  similar  to  Mr. 
Whitfield's.  Mr.  Whitfield  sold  his  accommodations  to  Major 
Thompson  of  London,  a  man  of  some  note  during  the  com- 
monwealth, in  whose  family  it  remained  until  a  short  time  before 
the  Revolutionary  war,  when  Wyllys  Elliott  of  Guilford  pur- 
chased it. 


second  is  six  feet  and  three-quarters.  At  the  southerly  corner  in  the  second  story 
there  was  originally  an  embrasure,  about  a  foot  wide,  with  a  stone  flooring,  which 
remains.  The  exterior  walls  are  now  closed  up,  but  not  the  walls  within. 

The  walls  of  the  front  and  back  of  the  house  terminate  at  the  floor  of  the  attic, 
and  the  rafters  lie  upon  them.  The  angle  of  the  roof  is  60°,  making  the  base  and 
sides  equal.  At  the  end  of  the  wing,  by  the  chimney,  is  a  recess,  which  must  have 
been  intended  as  a  place  of  concealment.  The  interior  wall  has  the  appearance  of 
touching  the  chimney,  like  the  wall  at  the  northwest  end.  But  the  removal  of  a 
board  discovers  two  closets  which  project  beyond  the  lower  part  of  the  building. 

3 


l8  HfSTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Mr.  Higginson  lived  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  green  on 
the  south  side  of  Bridge  street.  Mr.  Disborow  on  the  same 
side  of  the  street,  to  the  west.  Mr.  Leete  lived  on  the  north 
corner  of  Water  and  Broad  streets.  Mr.  Chittenden  on  the 
south  corner  opposite,  near  the  bank  of  West  or  Menunkatuck 
river.  Mr.  Rob't  Kitchel  lived  on  t'ne  corner  of  Broad  and 
Fair  streets,  on  the  site  occupied  by  the  house  of  the  late  Judge 
Griffing,  John  Fowler  on  the  opposite  corner  where  Judge 
Fowler,  one  of  his  descendants  lived  in  recent  times. 

The  rich  and  cleared  lands  about  the  town  plat,  together  with 
considerations  of  continual  intercourse  and  mutual  safety,  in- 
duced the  colonists  to  settle  in  a  cluster,  but  as  their  numbers 
increased  and  as  circumstances  became  more  favorable,  they 
gradually  spread  themselves  into  other  parts  of  the  First  Society 
and  pretty  soon  into  Madison  near  the  shore  of  the  sound,  and 
at  Hammonassett.  As  early  as  October,  1646,  it  was  "  ordered 
that  Nut  plains  and  another  plain  on  the  east  side  of  East  river 
(doubtless  that  now  called  Hewlett's),  together  with  the  land 
on  the  other  side  of  said  East  river,  both  upland  and  marsh, 
should  be  viewed,  and  a  survey  taken  of  all  the  said  parcels ; 
that  so  division  might  be  made  according  as  was  due  to  every 
planter  wanting  land."  In  1649  a  bridge  was  built  over  East 
river,  which  makes  it  probable  that  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  of 
this  river  began  to  be  cultivated  quite  early,  and  that  before  the 
lapse  of  many  years  they  began  to  be  settled. 

Dr.  Bryan  Rossiter  joined  the  settlers  in  Guilford  and  was 
admitted  and  approved  a  planter,  having  purchased  the  estate  of 
Mr.  Disborow,  the  magistrate  (on  his  leaving  for  England), 
October,  1651.  He  was  sworn  as  a  freeman  (with  Nathaniel 
Whitfield,  who  seems  to  have  remained  a  few  years  after  his 
father)  June  8,  1654.  Doctor  Rossiter  is  said  to  have  come 
over  originally  with  five  or  six  brothers  to  Boston  on  the  first 
settlement  of  this  country.  In  1640  he  was  enumerated  among 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  19 

the  settlers  of  Windsor  where  he  seems  to  have  resided  until  he 
came  to  Guilford  in  1651.  His  daughter,  Johanna  Rossiter, 
was  married  Nov.  7,  1660,  to  John  Cotton,  the  son  of  the 
celebrated  John  Cotton  of  Massachusetts.  After  the  marriage 
he  preached  occasionally  at  Guilford  and  at  Killingworth,  where 
he  was  hired  for  a  considerable  period  (about  1670),  as  appears 
from  the  records  of  that  town,  until  he  finally  returned  to 
Massachusetts  and  was  a  distinguished  pastor  of  the  church  at 
Plymouth  for  many  years.  Cotton  Mather  calls  him  one  by 
whom  not  only  the  English  but  also  the  Indians  of  America 
have  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  carried  to  them.  He  supplied 
the  church  at  Guilford  jointly  with  Mr.  John  Bowers,  previous 
to  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Joseph  Elliott,  1664.  He  had  two 
children  born  in  Guilford. 

John  Meigs  came  to  Guiiford  from  New  Haven,  where  he 
seems  to  have  resided  previously,  and  was  admitted  a  planter  on 
his  buying  a  hundred  pound  allotment  at  Hammonassett  on  its 
settlement  March  3,  1653-4.  He  seems  to  have  become  un- 
popular and  removed  to  Killingworth  on  its  first  settlement, 
where  he  died,  as  appears  by  the  Killingworth  Town  Records, 
January  4,  1671.  When  he  first  came  to  Guilford,  his  father 
Vincent  Meigs,  who  appears  to  have  been  old  at  that  time, 
came  with  him  and  died  at  Hammonassett,  1658.  John  Meigs, 
Jun.,  came  to  Guilford  from  Killingworth,  soon  after  his 
father's  death,  and  settled  in  the  east  part  of  the  town  where 
his  posterity  are  numerous  to  this  day. 

William  Seward  came  originally  from  Bristol,  England,  and 
settled  first  at  New  Haven,  and,  while  residing  there  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Grace  Norton  of  Guilford,  April  2,  1651. 
He  soon  after  removed  to  Guilford  and  took  the  oath  of  fidelity 
there  May  4,  1654.  He  appears  to  have  been  a  tanner,  a  man 
of  considerable  property  and  eminence  in  the  town.  For  a  long 
time  he  was  captain  of  the  guard  in  Guilford,  and  an  anecdote 


2O  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

is  related  of  him,  that,  when  the  charter  of  the  state  was  sup- 
posed to  be  concealed  in  Guilford,  during  the  usurpation  of 
Edmund  Andross,  by  Governor  Leete's  family,  and  delegates 
were  sent  down  to  seize  and  bring  it  to  Hartford,  Mr.  Seward 
marched  his  company,  with  their  muskets  loaded,  down  to  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  green,  where  the  delegates  were  lodged, 
and  paraded  them  in  front  of  the  house  to  the  beat  of  the  drum. 
On  being  asked  by  the  delegates,  what  they  wanted  ?  the 
captain  informed  them  that  he  came  to  escort  them  out  of 
town,  and  that  he  would  not  leave  with  his  men  until  they  had 
left,  which  must  be  as  soon  as  possible.  The  delegates  seeing 
their  danger  accepted  the  escort  thus  forced  upon  them  and 
left.  Mr.  Seward  died  March  2,  1689,  aged  sixty-two  years. 

William  Johnson,  the  ancestor  of  Dr.  Johnson  and  a  large 
part  of  the  Guilford  Johnsons,  came  to  Guilford  from  New 
Haven  as  early  as  1653.  He  was  for  many  years  town  clerk 
of  the  plantation.  He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Francis 
Bushnell.  John  Baldwin  came  from  Milford  in  1651,  and  took 
the  oath  of  fidelity,  February  5,  1652.  John  Hill,  by  trade  a 
carpenter,  came  from  Northamptonshire,  in  England,  as  early 
as  1654,  and  settled  upon  the  north  side  of  the  green  on  the 
place  now  occupied  by  E.  C.  Bishop  and  Tabor  Smith.  John 
Grave  came  from  Hartford,  1657,  and  married  Elizabeth  Still- 
well,  daughter  of  Jasper  Stillwell,  Nov.  26,  1657.  Jasper 
Stillwell  died  Nov.  8,  1656,  in  Guilford,  without  male  issue, 
and  Mr.  Grave  occupied  his  situation  on  the  east  side  of  South 
lane,  now  called  Harbor  street,  two  lots  of  land  north  of  the 
stone  house.  He  came  originally  from  England  and  was  for 
many  years  the  town  clerk.  Thomas  Clarke  came  from  Milford, 
where  he  was  one  of  the  original  settlers,  and  married  Anne  Jordan, 
widow  of  John  Jordan,  who  died  in  1652,  and  settled  here  1653. 
He  lived  on  the  west  side  of  South  lane,  nearly  where  William  S. 
Kelsey  now  lives.  Thomas  Meacock,  also  of  Milford,  and  one 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  21 

of  its  settlers,  with  Mr.  Prudden  in  1639,  was  admitted  a 
planter  of  Guilford  on  the  purchase  of  land  from  Dennis 
Crampton,  May  14,  1660.  Dennis  Crampton  came  here  prior 
to  1656,  when  he  was  an  apprentice  and  was  complained  of,  for 
slander  and  cheating,  and,  according  to  the  Records,  vol.  A, 
page  151,  not  having  any  estate  to  make  satisfaction  by  way  of 
fine  and  penalty,  the  court  ordered  that  he  be  immediately  cor- 
porally punished  by  whipping.  He  afterwards,  however,  be- 
came a  man  of  considerable  property  and  some  distinction  in  the 
Plantation,  and  his  posterity  remain  in  both  Guilford  and  Madi- 
son to  this  day.  He  lived  on  the  west  side  of  South  lane,  and 
afterwards  removed  and  settled  on  the  Neck  plain  in  Madison. 
Nathan  Bradley  and  Stephen  Bradley  came  to  Guilford  quite 
early.  In  1658  the  former  was  twenty  and  the  latter  sixteen  years 
of  age,  as  appears  by  the  Records,  vol.  A,  page  172.  Nathan 
Bradley  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  and  Stephen 
in  Neck  plain.  Their  descendants  are  numerous  both  in  Guil- 
ford and  New  Haven  at  the  present  time.  The  following  ac- 
count of  Nathan  Bradley  is  taken  from  Barber's  Historical  Col- 
lections of  Connecticut,  page  227.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of 
five  or  six  brothers,  who  were  staunch  dissenters  and  came  to- 
gether from  England.  He  settled  and  built  his  house  about 
two  miles  and  a  half  eastward  of  where  the  Madison  Church 
now  is,  and  near  to  the  Killingworth  line.  He  intended  to 
have  landed  at  New  Haven  but  was  obliged  to  put  in  at  Say- 
brook  and  come  across  the  wilderness  to  New  Haven,  there 
being  no  settlement  at  that  time  between  that  place  and  Say- 
brook.  Mr.  Bradley  who  was  quite  a  hunter,  was  the  first 
white  person  who  discovered  the  source  of  the  Hammonassett 
river,  which  originates  in  a  pond  still  called  Nathan's  pond. 
Mr.  Bradley  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  and  is  said  to  have  killed 
several  hundred  deer  while  he  resided  in  the  town.  In  the 
winter,  bears,  wolves,  and  other  wild  animals,  would  resort  to 


22  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

the  sea-coast  in  considerable  numbers.  On  one  occasion,  Mr. 
B.,  in  his  old  age,  went  to  see  a  friend  who  lived  about  a  mile 
northerly  of  the  meeting  house.  On  his  way  he  met  a  bear 
with  her  cubs.  He  endeavored  to  ride  around  her,  but  as  he 
moved  the  bear  moved,  when  he  stopped  she  stopped,  and  sit- 
ting on  her  haunches,  presented  an  undaunted  front,  seeming 
determined  to  oppose  his  further  passage.  Mr.  B.  was  obliged 
to  turn  back,  and  in  the  childishness  of  old  age  shed  tears  that  he, 
who  had  killed  so  many  of  these  creatures,  should  be  at  last 
obliged  to  turn  his  back  upon  one  of  them. 

Mr.  John  Collins  came  from  Branford  in  1669,  and  married 
Mary  Kingsnorth,  the  sister  of  Henry  Kingsnorth.  He  set- 
tled on  Fair  street,  on  the  east  side,  next  north  of  the  lot  on 
which  the  late  Mr.  Russell  Frisbie's  house  now  stands.  After- 
wards, in  right  of  his  wife,  he  came  into  possession  of  the  lands 
of  Henry  and  James  Kingsnorth.  Henry  Kingsnorth  came 
out  from  England,  probably  with  the  first  settlers,  and  dying 
about  1660,  gave  his  property  unto  such  son  of  Daniel 
Kingsnorth  as  should  come  from  England  and  claim  the  same, 
otherwise,  to  John  Collinsand  his  wife  Mary.  Accordingly  James 
Kingsnorth  appeared  before  the  county  court  at  New  Haven  and, 
on  the  exhibit  of  Henry  Kingsnorth's  will,  he  presented  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Whitfield,  then  in  England,  to  Mr.  Jno.  Hall  affirming 
the  fact.  He  also  showed  a  certificate  from  the  rectors, 
church  wardens  and  parish  clerks,  of  Staple  Hurst,  in  the 
county  of  Kent  as  to  his  age,  whereupon  he  was  adjudged  the 
inheritance  and  resided  in  Guilford  till  his  death,  1682.  Not 
leaving  any  issue,  by  his  nuncupative  will  he  bequeathed  all  his 
real  estate  to  either  of  his  brothers,  or  either  of  their  sons,  that 
should  come  over  to  New  England  for  it,  and  if  none  of  them 
came  in  five  years  time  then  the  inheritance  to  fall  to  his  un- 
cle and  aunt  Collins,  they  sending  over  to  each  of  his  brothers 
or  their  sons,  a  piece  of  plate  worth  three  pounds  in  England. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  23 

His  two  brothers,  Daniel  and  John  Kingsnorth  afterwards  ac- 
knowledged the  receipt  of  such  pieces  of  plate,  and  by  their 
deed  made  and  executed  in  England  conveyed  the  said  real  es- 
tate to  John  Collins,  1686. 

Richard  Hubball  was  admitted  a  planter,  February  25,  165!, 
on  purchasing  Samuel  Blatchley's  lots  and  accommodations  in 
his  stead.  Ke  appears  also  to  have  purchased  the  land  and 
accommodations  of  John  Baldwin,  October  16,  1660.  In  1680, 
however,  he  removed  and  settled  in  Fairfield,  where  his  posterity 
are  numerous  to  the  present  day.  Henry  Crane  was  a  planter 
in  Guilford  about  1 660,  but  removed  to  Killingwoith  on  the 
settlement  of  that  town,  and  is  enumerated  in  the  list  of  its 
first  settlers,  October,  1663.  Thomas  Smith  came  into  Guil- 
ford, on  the  invitation  of  the  planters,  from  Fairfield,  in  the 
capacity  of  blacksmith,  1652,  and  took  the  oath  of  fidelity,  May 
ii,  1654.  There  seems  to  have  been  great  difficulty  in  pro- 
curing a  blacksmith  and  a  considerable  tract  of  land  was  given 
to  induce  Smith  to  settle  here.  "This  was  given  him  on  con- 
dition of  serving  the  town  in  the  trade  of  a  smith  upon  just  and 
moderate  terms  for  the  space  of  five  years."  In  1663  Smith 
removed,  with  others  to  Killingworth  on  the  first  settlement  of 
that  town.  John  Hodgkin  came  from  Essex,  England,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  oath  of  fidelity,  May  n,  1654. 

In  1657  or  ^58  a  list  was  made  out  of  the  freemen.  It  is 
herewith  appended,  with  the  dates  of  their  subsequent  deaths  : 

Wm.  Leete,  removed  to 

Hartford,  died     April  6,  1683. 

Robt.  Kitchell,  removed  to 

Newark,  1666  or  7,  "•     Oct.,  1671. 

Wm.  Ckittenden,  "       Feb.,  1660-1. 

George  Hubbard,  "       Jan.,  1683. 

Mr.  Bryan  Rossiter,  "       Sept.  30,  1672. 

Mr.  John  Bishop,  "      Jan.,  1661. 


24 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


Abm.  Cruttenden  Sen., 

Wm.  Dudley, 

Wm.  Johnson, 

Benjn.  Wright,  Sen., 

William  Stone, 

Thomas  Cooke, 

John  Stevens, 

John  Fowler, 

John  Hill, 

John  Parmelin,  Sen., 

John  Evarts, 

Thomas  French, 

William  Seward, 

William  Stevens, 

Henry  Kingsnorth, 

Richard  Guttridge, 

Henry  Doud, 

William  Hall, 

"John  Scranton, 

Edward  Benton, 

Dan.  Benton, 

John  Meigs, 

Ricb'd  Bristow, 

John  Johnson, 

John  Sheader, 

Rich.  Hubball, 

John  Parmelin,  Jun., 

Ab'm  Cruttenden,  Jun., 

John  Graves, 

Geo.  Highland, 

John  Rossiter, 

John  Baldwin,  left  1661 

Thos.  Clark, 


died  Jan.,  1683. 
"   Mar.  1 6,  1684. 
"   Oct.  27,  1702. 

"  Mar.  29,  1677 

"  Nov.  1683. 

4t  Dec.  i,  1692. 

"  Sept.  i,  1670. 

"  Sept.  14,  1676. 

"  June  8,  1689. 
"   Nov.  8,  1659. 

"  May  9,  1669. 

"   Mar.  2,  1689. 

"  Jan.,  1703. 

"  July  28,  1668. 

"  May  7,  1676. 

"  Aug.  31,  1668. 

"  May  7,  1669. 

"  Aug.  27,  1671. 

"  Oct.  28,  1680. 

"  June  9,  1672. 

"  Jan.  10,  1671-2. 

"  Sept.,  1683. 

"  Nov.,  1681. 

u  June  i,  1670. 

"  1692. 

"  Jan.  1687-8. 

"  Sept.  25,  1694. 

"  Dec.  31,  1695. 

"  Jan.  21,  1692-3. 

"  Sept.,  1670. 
for  Norwich. 

buried  Oct.  10,  1668. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  25 

Rich.  Hughes,  died     July  3,  1658. 

John  Stone,  "       Feb.,  1687. 

George  Bartlett,  "       Aug.  2,  1669. 

Henry  Goldam,  "       1661. 

Nicholas  Munger,  "       Oct.  16,  1668. 

Geo.  Chatfield,  "      June  9,  1671, 

John  Bishop,  Jr.,  "      Oct.,  1683. 

Stephen  Bishop,  "      June,  1690. 

This  list  contains  the  names  of  forty-seven  persons  probably 
all  freemen,  as  at  the  time  the  list  was  made  out  there  were 
many  others  resident  in  Guilford  and  planters  not  named.  Of 
the  twenty-eight  freemen  on  the  former  list  of  1650,  the  nine- 
teen mentioned  again  are  those  in  italics.  Mr.  John  Higginson, 
the  clergyman,  is  not  mentioned  again  as  he  was  the  minister, 
or  probably  had  left  the  colony  of  which  he  was  certainly  not  a 
member  in  1659.  Mr.  Whitfield,  Mr.  Sam.  Disborough  and 
Mr.  Thomas  Jordan  had  returned  to  England.  Thomas  Belts 
had  removed  to  Norwalk  in  Fairfield  county,  1656  or  1657. 
Alexander  Chalker  had  removed  to  Saybrook  as  early  as  1654. 
Thomas  Jones  had  probably  removed  to  England  with  Mr. 
Thomas  Jordan,  who  went  back  two  years  after  Mr.  Whitfield  in 
1654.  Mr.  Whitfield  took  one  of  his  sons  (John  Whitfield)  back 
with  him,  the  other  Nathaniel  remained  and  was  admitted  a  free- 
man as  before  stated,  June  8,  1654.  He  returned  to  England 
about  the  same  year  and  became  a  distinguished  merchant  in 
London  and  was  agent  of  Mr  Disborow  in  that  city  in  1664. 
Mr.  Thomas  Jones  left  Mr.  William  Chittenden  as  his  agent 
here,  as  did  the  others  who  went  back  to  England.  He  also  left  a 
son  or  nephew,  Samuel  Jones,  and,  on  the  sale  of  his  lands  by  his 
said  agent,  March  4,  1667  to  John  Meigs,  it  is  stated  that  "  the 
alienation  was  made  with  the  free  consent  of  the  said  Samuel  Jones 
who  laid  some  claim  to  the  lands  as  being  the  heir  thereto." 
Jasper  Stillwell  had  died  Nov.,  1656.  John  Evarts,  the  only 
4 


26  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORU. 

other  freeman  mentioned  on  the  former  list  was  admitted,  as  be- 
fore stated,  Feb.  5,  1652.  Of  the  other  names  on  the  list  of 
1650,  which  were  then  not  freemen,  seven  are  not  named  on  the 
list  of  1657  or  1658,  viz.  :  Thomas  Chatfield,  Francis  Bushnell, 
John  Linsley,  Samuel  Blatchley,  Thomas  Stevens,  Wm.  Bore- 
man  and  Edward  Sewers.  Thomas  Stevens  was  not  yet  ad- 
mitted to  the  oath  of  freeman,  but  he  evidently  continued  a 
resident  of  Guilford  until  about  1665  when  he  removed  to  Kil- 
lingworth.  His  name  is  never  mentioned  among  the  freemen 
of  Guilford.  Thomas  Chatfield  had  sold  out  his  property  in 
Guilford  and  removed  to  "  East  Hampton  in  the  East  Riding 
of  Long  Island,"  as  it  was  then  called.  Francis  Bushnell,  who 
had  kept  the  town  mill  since  the  death  of  Thomas  Norton, 
1648,  removed  to  Say  brook  about  1659-60  and  upon  the  soli- 
citations of  its  inhabitants  erected  a  corn  mill  on  Oyster  river, 
being  the  first  erected  in  that  town,  for  which  the  proprietors  gave 
him  a  farm  on  condition  that  a  mill  should  be  kept  there  continu- 
ally and  that  the  inhabitants  should  have  equal  privileges  in  regard 
to  grinding,  which  farm  is  held  by  his  descendants  on  these  con- 
ditions at  the  present  time.  John  Linsley,  becoming  disaffected 
on  account  of  the  results  of  a  lawsuit  for  slander  in  favor  of 
Richard  Goodrich  and  his  wife,  sold  out  all  his  allotments  in 
Guilford  to  William  Hall  and  removed  to  Branford,  1654. 
Samuel  Blatchley  appears  to  have  died  previous  to  1660.  Ed- 
ward Sewers  appears  to  have  remained  for  awhile,  and  then  to 
have  removed  to  Stony  creek,  Branford.  William  Boreman, 
died  about  1652  and  his  allotments  were  sold  by  Nathan  Har- 
man,  attorney,  to  Daniel  Butcher,  brother-in-law  of  said  Bore- 
man,  of  Hawkhurst  in  Kent,  England,  1663.  The  remaining 
thirteen  were  all  admitted  freemen  from  1650  to  1660,  Jno. 
Johnson,  Feb.  7,  1652-3,  Dr.  Bray  Rossitor  June  3,  1654. 

John  Rossiter  came  in  company  with  his  father  Dr.  Rossiter 
and  took  the  oath  of  fidelity  with  him,  May  n,  1654.   Thomas 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  2J 

Stevens,  Thomas  Cruttenden,  Jno.  Hodgkin  and  Thomas 
Smith  took  the  oath  at  the  same  time  ;  and  Nathaniel  Whitfield, 
Wm.  Johnson,  William  Seward,  William  Stevens,  Richard 
Hubball,  Isaac  Cruttenden  (son  of  Abraham),  Samuel  Kitchell 
(son  of  Robert),  Thomas  Chittenden  (son  of  William),  Dennis 
Crampton,  Daniel  Benton  (son  of  Edward,  one  of  the  freemen 
of  the  list  just  given),  Andrew  Benton  and  Daniel  Evarts  (son 
of  John),  took  the  o?.th  of  fidelity  May  4,  1654;  John  Bishop 
Jr.,  Stephen  Bishop  (sons  of  John,  Sen.),  Geo.  Highland,  Geo. 
Chatfield,  Wm.  Boreman,  Nicholas  Munger,  Edward  Sewers, 
Abm.  Cruttenden  Jr.,  in  1652;  Benjamin  Wright  Sen.,  Richard 
Hughes,  Abm.  Cruttenden  Sen.,  and  John  Sheader  as  early  as 
1645,  as  also  Hv.  Dowd  and  Wm.  Stone,  John  Stevens  and 
his  son  William  Stevens  and  Thomas  French,  who  although 
not  among  the  first  settlers  came  very  early. 

About  1660,  the  Rev.  John  Bowers  came  to  Guilford  and 
purchased  an  estate,  and  supplied  the  pulpit  for  three  or  four  years 
until  Mr.  Joseph  Elliott  was  settled.  He  afterwards  removed 
to  Branford,  and  as  late  as  1670,  to  Derby  where  he  settled. 

In  1 672,  a  third  division  of  land  was  voted  among  all  the  then 
planters  according  to  their  lists  of  that  year.  The  proprietors 
numbered  something  over  one  hundred,  although  the  number 
of  resident  planters  must  have  been  much  smaller.  The  list 
of  freemen  made  out  about  the  same  time  numbered  about  sixty- 
three.  It  contains  the  names  of  Joseph  Clay,  Josiah  Wilcox, 
Obadiah  Wilcoxon  and  Joseph  Hand  who  had  settled  between 
1660,  and  that  time.  Joseph  Hand  came  from  East  Hampton, 
Long  Island,  and  settled  in  the  east  part  of  the  town.  About 
the  same  time  Jonathan  Hoyt  from  Windsor,  came  and  also 
settled  in  the  east  part  of  the  town,  as  also  Thomas  Meacock 
from  Wallingford.  Edward  Lee  settled  in  the  town  about 
1675,  Mr.  James  Hooker,  a  man  of  considerable  note  and 
afterwards  the  first  judge  of  the  court  of  probate  came  from 


28  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Farmington  about  1692,  Peter  Tallman  from  England,  about 
1684,  Thomas  Griswold  from  Wethersfield,  about  1695,  John 
Baily,  John  Sergeant,  Mathew  Bellamy  and  Ephraim  Darwin, 
came  earlier.  Andrew  Ward  (grandson  of  Andrew  Ward,  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Wethersfield,  and  one  of  the  first  judges 
of  the  county  court,  in  Hartford,  and  son  of  Andrew  Ward 
who  removed  from  Stamford,  and  married  Tryal  Meigs,  the 
daughter  of  the  first  John  Meigs  who  became  a  settler  of  Killing- 
worth,  in  1668),  came  to  Guilford  with  his  mother,  Tryal 
Ward  about  1690.  Charles  Caldwell  came  first  from  Evain, 
Scotland,  to  Hartford,  and  removed  to  Guilford  about  1710. 
Shubel  Shelly  arrived  about  1714;  Comfort  and  Jehosaphat 
Starr,  from  Middletown,  about  1690  or  1700.  Comfort  Starr 
was  a  tailor  and  purchased,  1692,  the  home  lot  of  John  Collins, 
on  Crooked  Lane,  now  State  street,  nearly  opposite  to  where 
Abraham  S.  Fowler  recently  lived.  Stephen  Dodd  was  admitted 
a  planter  Dec.  14,  1676.  Samuel  Baldwin  was  invited  by  the 
inhabitants  to  come  from  Fairfield,  his  former  residence,  to 
settle  as  a  smith,  1675,  and  was  admitted  a  planter  on  condition 
of  his  serving  them  as  a  smith,  Feb.  8,  1675-6.  Such  was  the 
need  of  the  inhabitants  for  some  one  to  serve  in  his  trade  that 
they  granted  him  liberty  "  to  take  up  one-half  an  acre  of  land 
upon  the  green,  between  John  Bishop's  barn  and  the  saw-pit 
all  along  against  the  front  of  said  Bishop's  home  lot  according 
as  it  is  now  laid  out  to  him,"  being  in  front  of  nearly  all  the 
east  side  of  the  green.  Mr.  Thomas  Robinson  bought  out  the 
land,  which  was  originally  owned  by  John  Caffinge,  as  early  as 
1666,  and  afterward  became  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  the  settlers. 
He  was  noted  for  a  long  and  very  expensive  lawsuit  with  the 
town,  originating  from  his  taking  up  land  on  the  front  of  his 
lot,  which  was  claimed  by  the  town.  The  suits  which  grew 
out  of  this  act  were  appealed  eventually  to  the  legislature,  and 
finally  were  adjusted  and  settled  by  the  interposition  of  a  com- 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  29 

mittee  therefrom.  Ephraim  Darwin  was  a  man  of  considerable 
property  and  resided  near  the  rocks  at  the  head  of  Fair  street, 
which  have  derived  their  name  of  Ephraim's  rocks  from  him. 
He  came  to  Guiiford  as  early  as  1670,  but  his  family  became 
extinct  in  the  next  century.  John  Hodgkin  from  Essex,  Eng- 
land, came  as  early  as  1665,  Mathew  Beckwith^  in  1667,  but 
apparently  did  not  remain  long  in  the  colony,  and  Edward  Park 
from  Killingworth,  was  admitted  a  planter,  May  28,  1671.  The 
latter  was  by  trade  a  tailor,  becoming  afterwards  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Cohabit  (North  Guiiford).  Jonathan  Hoyt,  of  Windsor, 
was  granted,  Dec.  9,  1671,  liberty  to  stay  over  the  winter  and 
if  he  behaved  himself  well  that  in  that  time  he  may  procure  a 
certificate  according  to  law.  He  afterwards  became  one  of  the 
first  proprietors  of  the  society  called  E.  Guiiford,  now  Madison, 
where  his  descendants  still  reside.  John  BayJey  and  Thos. 
Tinkard,  came  to  Guiiford  about  1680,  Henry  Wise  and  Jacob 
Everest  were  admitted  Nov.  9,  1680,  but  none  of  their  name 
are  now  residents  within  the  limits  of  the  ancient  town.  John 
Hodgkin,  from  Essex,  England,  was  admitted  as  early  as  1670, 
but  his  descendants  gradually  modified  the  name  into  Hotchkin 
and  Hotchkiss,  although  some  of  the  older  people  still  pertina- 
ciously employ  the  old  name  in  common  conversation. 

When  the  patent  was  granted  from  the  governor  and  colony 
of  Connecticut,  Dec.  7,  1685,  tnere  were,  according  to  actual 
investigation  some  time  afterwards,  eighty  proprietors  inhabit- 
ants and  ten  deceased,  whose  heirs  are  mentioned,  and  one 
widow  Susanna  Bishop,  all  from  the  families  previously  named, 
although  some  persons  who  appear  to  have  died  previously  or 
who  remained  without  any  interest  in  the  town  are  not  men- 
tioned in  the  patent.  Abraham  Kimberly  came  from  West 
Haven  as  late  as  1700,  Jasper  Griffing  from  Southhold,  Long 
Island  and  Joseph  Pynchon  from  Springfield  at  subsequent 
periods. 


JO  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Those  names  in  italics  in  the  list  of  1650,  and  mentioned 
heretofore  as  late  settlers,  have  become  extinct  in  Guilford  ;  from 
the  other  settlers  a  large  proportion  of  the  present  inhabitants 
have  descended,  as  also  many  families  in  Madison,  Killingworth, 
and  other  parts  of  the  country. 

North  Guilford  was  surveyed  and  divided  in  1705.  Soon 
after  this,  members  were  accustomed  to  go  up  from  the  First 
Society  on  Monday  of  each  week  to  clear  their  lands  and  to 
return  on  Saturday.  From  the  circumstance  of  their  dwelling 
together  through  the  week,  the  place  began  to  be  called  Cohabit, 
a  name  which  it  long  retained  and  which  is  occasionally  ap- 
plied to  it  at  present.  Their  numbers,  however,  so  increased 
that  at  the  close  of  1719,  they  had  liberty  to  become  a  distinct 
society.  Among  the  early  settlers  were  Timothy  and  Nathaniel 
Baldwin,  George  and  Daniel  Bartlett,  Ebenezer  and  Joseph 
Benton,  Ebenezer  and  Samuel  Bishop,  Joseph  Clark,  John  and 
Daniel  Collins,  Wm.  Dudley,  Samuel  and  Joseph  Fowler, 
William  Hall,  Samuel  Hobson,  John  Hubbard,  Benjamin  Leete, 
Jon"  Robinson,  Josiah  and  Joshua  Stone  and  Nathaniel  Parks, 
all  of  whom  excepting  the  last  named,  who  was  from  East 
Guilford,  were  from  the  First  Society.  Theophilus  Rossiter 
from  the  same  society  was  also  an  early  settler  ;  and  Ebenezer 
Talman  from  the  First  Society,  Joseph  Chidsey  from  East 
Haven,  and  the  ancestors  of  some  other  families  moved  into  this 
section  of  the  town  some  time  after  the  settlement  began. 

The  population  of  the  town,  including  East  Guilford,  has 
gradually  increased  from  the  beginning,  notwithstanding  constant 
emigration.  In  1670  there  were  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  in- 
habitants, comprising  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  males  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty  females,  as  ascertained  at  the  time  of  mak- 
ing the  third  division  of  the  lands  in  the  town.  At  the  time  of 
the  fourth  division  in  1690,  there  were  one  hundred  and  eight 
taxable  persons.  Supposing  these  were  one-fifth  part  of  the 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  3! 

inhabitants,  there  must  have  been  a  population  of  five  hundred 
and  forty  souls.  In  1730,  at  the  time  of  the  sixth  division  of 
lands  among  the  proprietors,  three  hundred  and  twenty-six  per- 
sons were  taxed,  giving  according  to  the  same  rate  of  calculation 
one  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty,  as  the  entire  population. 
The  following  enumerations  made  by  public  authority  give 

2322 

2930 

3597 

3845 

4131,  the  last  census  before  the  division. 

4153,  in  the  two  towns,  Madison  and  Guilford, 
giving  an  increase  for  ten  years  of  only  twenty-two.  The 
population  of  Guilford  was  then  two  thousand  three  hundred 
and  forty-four,  and  of  Madison  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
nine.  In  the  census  last  mentioned  sixty-seven  persons  were 
found  in  the  families  living  on  the  strip  of  land  mentioned  on 
page  ten,  which  in  1820  belonged  to  Guilford  First  Society. 
Had  no  alterations  been  made  in  the  societies  by  the  division  of 
the  town,  their  population  at  the  two  periods  would  have  stood 
as  follows : 

1800  1820  1830 

Guilford  First  Society,       1629  1918  1863 

[in  the  borough  1,097,  without  8ai] 

North  Guilford,  540  581  548 

Madison  First  Society,         939  1079  1262 

North  Madison,  489  553  480 

3597 
Population  in  1840  —  whole  town,  2421 

The  population  according  to  the  census  of  1850  was, 
Guilford  First  Society,  2158 

North  Guilford,  495 

Total  2953 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


By  the  census  of  1860 

Guilford  First  Society,  2101 

North  Guilford,  523 


Total  2624 
By  the  census  of  1870 

Guilford  First  Society,  2079 

North  Guilford,  496 


Total  2575 

In  the  borough  1850,  1115;  1860,  1232;  1870,  1300. 
The  emigrations  from  the  town  cannot  be  precisely  and  fully 
stated.  When  Branford  was  first  settled  in  1644  some  per- 
sons, as  has  been  previously  stated,  removed  thither.  Mr.  Whit- 
field,  Mr.  Desborough,  Mr.  Thos.  Jordan,  John  Hodely, 
Messrs.  Nathaniel  and  John  Whitfield  (sons  of  the  clergyman)  and 
perhaps  some  others  returned  to  England,  1651.  When  Killing- 
worth  was  settled  in  1663  and  1664,  some  families  removed  to 
that  town,  and  about  the  same  time,  as  previously  stated,  several 
removed  to  Saybrook.  Near  the  commencement  of  the  last 
century  several  families  planted  themselves  in  Durham  and,  in 
connection  with  others,  commenced  the  settlement  of  that 
place  ;  not  long  after  this  some  planted  themselves  in  Middle- 
finld  and  Westfield,  parishes  of  Middletown.  About  1750 
numbers  moved  to  Litchfield,  Washington,  Goshen,  Salisbury, 
and  Canaan,  in  Litchfield  county,  where  the  names  of  Stone, 
Norton,  Fowler,  Elliott,  and  Baldwin  mark  their  descendants 
at  this  day.  Ten  years  thereafter  numbers  from  Guilford  joined 
together  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  settlement  of  Rich- 
mond and  Stockbridge,  in  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts. 
Guilford,  Vt.,  as  well  as  Chittenden  county  were  settled  to  a 
considerable  extent  and  derived  their  names  from  this  place 
about  1674.  Claremontand  Charleston,  New  Hampshire,  were 
also  settled  from  Guilford  about  1786,  and  about  the  same  time 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  33 

some  emigrated  and  settled  Greenville,  New  York.  More  re- 
cently some  have  settled  at  Paris,  Westmoreland  and  Verona 
in  that  state,  in  the  Connecticut  Western  Reserve,  Ohio,  and 
still  more  recently  at  Fairfield  and  other  parts  of  Illinois. 

[In  addition  to  these  emigrations  of  families,  many  a  fireside 
in  distant  states  has  been  graced  and  made  happy  by  the  presence 
of  the  daughters  of  Guilford,  who  have  carried  with  them  to 
their  husband's  homes  the  rich  dower  of  truth,  gentleness  and 
Christian  character,  attained  in  their  New  England  home. 
Under  their  fostering  care 

"  Minds  have  been  nurtured,  whose  control 
Is  felt  even  in  their  nation's  destiny  ; 
Men  who  swayed  senates  with  a  statesman's  soul, 
And  looked  on  armies  with  a  leader's  eye  } 
Names  that  adorn  and  dignify  the  scroll 
Whose  leaves  contain  their  country's  history."] 

It  has  been  already  noticed  that  the  first  settlers  were  almost 
universally  farmers.  Their  descendants  have  very  generally 
followed  the  same  occupation.  Some  mechanic  arts,  however, 
besides  the  manufacture  of  the  common  articles  of  use  in  a 
family,  have  been  pursued.  Mr.  Daniel  Hubbard  conducted 
an  extensive'  carriage-making  establishment  until  the  commer- 
cial embarrassments  of  1837.  A  site  for  a  clothier's  works  on 
West  river,  northwest  of  the  borough,  one  of  the  first  in  the 
state,  was  granted  to  Samuel  Johnson,  1707.  The  most  that 
this  establishment  could  do  was  to  full  the  cloth  sent  to  it,  "a 
large  proportion  of  which  was  worn  without  shearing  or  press- 
ing." Cloth  dressing  at  this  establishment  was  carried  on  by 
the  family  of  Samuel  Johnson  for  many  years,  being  even  pro- 
secuted by  a  great  grandson  of  the  same  name  within  the 
memory  of  many  of  the  present  inhabitants. 

Vessels  have  been  occasionally  built  in  this  town.  Many  of 
these  owned  by  the  inhabitants  have  been  and  are  employed  in 
the  coasting  trade,  and  in  former  days  some  were  employed  in 
5 


34  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

the  West  India  trade.  Formerly  large  quantities  of  shoes  were 
made  in  the  town  and  sent  to  the  southern  states  for  market. 

[In  a  joint  stock  company  was  organized,  for  the 

manufacture  of  steam-engines,  machinery  of  various  kinds,  iron- 
castings,  etc.,  by  some  of  the  prominent  and  well-to-do  citizens 
of  the  town.  The  location  of  the  factory  was  near  Jones's 
bridge.  It  gave  employment  to  a  large  number  of  persons  and 
bid  fair  to  be  eminently  successful,  but  eventually  failed.  The 
property  and  manufactured  articles  on  hand,  as  well  as  the 
machinery,  were  sacrificed  at  a  fraction  of  their  value,  and  the 
building  itself  was  removed  to  a  lot  on  the  west  side  of  the 
green,  where  it  is  now  known  as  Music  hall. 

In  Oliver  B.  Fowler  opened  an  iron  foundery  on  P'air 

street,  which  was  afterwards  purchased  by  Spencer  &  Sons,  and 
has  been  a  prosperous  establishment,  affording  remunerative  em- 
ployment to  many  of  the  citizens  and  profitable  returns  to  the 
proprietors.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Spencer,  his  sons  have 
carried  on  the  business  with  great  prudence  and  energy,  and  to 
the  advantage  of  the  town. 

In  1868,  J.  W.  Schermerhorn  of  the  city  of  New  York,  com- 
menced the  manufacture  of  school  furniture  in  a  building  erected 
for  the  purpose  of  a  lock  factory,  and  were  for  some  years  very 
successful.  Their  manufactures  were  sought  after  from  all 
parts  of  the  union,  wherever  an  ardent  interest  in  education 
created  a  demand  for  the  best  possible  furniture  for  the  school- 
room, but  financial  embarassments  in  1877  Put  a  st°P  to  tne 
operations  of  this  enterprising  firm.] 

Most  of  the  trade  of  the  present  town  of  Guilford  is  trans- 
acted in  the  borough  or  village,  pleasantly  situated  between  the 
West  river  and  East  creek,  north  of  the  great  plain,  or  rather 
on  the  northern  section  of  the  great  plain  itself.  It  was  incor- 
porated October  1815,  and  includes  within  its  present  limits 
that  part  of  the  First  Society  which  lies  between  those  streams, 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  35 

or  nearly  so,  being  the  great  plain  and  village  grounds  contained 
in  the  west  part  of  the  deed  from  the  queen  sachem,  Shaum- 
pishuh,  extended  north  and  south,  from  the  sound,  back  about 
the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  quarter  or  a  mile  and  a  half,  being 
from  three-fourths  of  a  mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half  in  breadth 
within  these  limits.  Within  the  village  (in  1838)  there  were 
one  hundred  and  eighty-three  dwelling  houses,  generally  two 
stories  in  height,  and  all  of  wood  except  the  noted  stone  house, 
two  churches,  one  Congregational,  one  Protestant  Episcopal, 
and  two  churches  in  process  of  erection,  for  the  Episcopal  and 
Methodist  churches  respectively.  There  were  also,  at  that  time, 
a  town  hall,  an  academy,  post  office  (established  in  1789), 
three  taverns,  (including  the  Point  House),  thirteen  stores, 
six  shoe  shops,  one  carriage  factory,  and  two  cabinet  shops. 

The  first  newspaper  published  inGuilford,  The  Shoreline  Senti- 
nel, made  its  appearance  March  8,  1877.  It  is  a  large  sheet, 
handsomely  printed  and  carefully  edited  by  W.  F.  Hendrick, 
independent  and  neutral  in  politics,  appearing  weekly  on  Satur- 
days, and  being  the  only  newspaper  published  on  the  Shore 
line,  between  New  Haven  and  New  London,  is  likely  to  com- 
mand a  large  circulation  and  generous  encouragement. 

The  Guilford  Savings  Bank,  incorporated  at  the  May  session 
(1875)  of  the  general  assembly,  was  organized  October  I,  1875, 
and  declared  its  first  dividend  July  I,  1876.  Its  officers  are 
Hon.  Edward  R.  Landon,  president,  Alfred  G.  Hull,  vice  presi- 
dent, Beverly  Monroe,  treasurer,  Henry  C.  Fowler,  secretary. 

Within  the  limits  of  the  borough  is  the  town  mill,  which  was 
established  near  its  present  location,  very  early  after  the  settle- 
ment. The  first  mill  was  built  about  1643  or  1644,  and  com- 
pleted in  1645.  At  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants,  as  early  as 
Aug.  14,  1645,  the  "finishing  of  the  mill  was  concluded." 
The  first  agreement  was  with  Mr.  Whitfield,  to  construct 
a  tide  mill  upon  the  bay,  and  a  certain  lot  was  appropriated  on 


36  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

which  the  mill  was  to  be  constructed  for  the  town  for  a  certain 
toll.  It  was  afterwards  concluded  with  Mr.  Robert  Kitchell  in 
1645,  to  take  charge  of  the  mill  and  pay  for  the  building  of  the 
same.  The  mill  was  kept  here  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
finally,  the  plan  of  a  tide  mill  not  succeeding,  it  was  perma- 
nently built  where  it  now  is  on  West  river.  The  cost  of  the 
first  mill  was  ascertained  1646,  to  have  been  .£75. 

Without  the  borough  there  were,  in  1838,  in  the  First  Society, 
one  hundred  and  nineteen  dwelling  houses,  four  taverns,  two  mer- 
chants stores,  two  sawmills  and  a  building  containing  the  water- 
works, blacksmithing  and  other  parts  of  the  carriage  making  estab- 
lishment of  Mr.  Hubbard,  two  fulling  mills,  and  two  tanneries. 
According  to  the  census  of  1870,  there  were  in 

Houses.  Families.  Population. 

Guilford  borough,  286  322  l^3°° 

Out  of  borough,  168  177  779 


First  Society,  454  499  2,079 

North  Guilford,  119  126  496 


Total,  573  625  2,575 

In  North  Guilford  there  were,  in  1838,  ninety-nine  dwelling 
houses,  two  taverns,  two  merchant's  stores,  two  grain  mills, 
two  saw  mills,  one  clothier's  establishment  and  two  tanneries. 

And  in  the  same  year  there  were  residing  in  the  three  hundred 
and  two  houses  in  the  First  Society  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  families,  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  in  the  borough,  and 
one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  without  ;  and  in  the  ninety-nine 
houses  in  North  Guilford,  there  resided  one  hundred  and  five 
families,  making  in  all  four  hundred  and  one  houses  and  four 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  families. 

One  of  the  hotels  in  the  First  Society  is  by  the  water-side  at 
Guilford  point,  and  is  called  the  Point  House.  It  is  only  open 
in  the  summer  season,  when  its  accommodations  are  fully  tested 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  37 

by  the  fashionable  and  valetudinarian  guests  from  Connecticut 
and  other  states,  who  are  tempted  by  the  attractions  of  sea  food 
and  the  hygienic  luxuries  of  sea  bathing  and  sea  air. 

The  list  of  the  town  as  taken  in  1825  was  as  follows  :  First 
Society,  $25,252,  North  Society,  $8,891,  Madison,  $11,278, 
North  Madison,  $4,755,  making  in  all  the  original  town  $50,176. 
In  1831  it  was  as  follows:  First  Society  $22,320,  North  Guil- 
ford  $8,390,  Adadison  $13,097,  North  Madison  $5,208,  making 
a  total  of  $49,015.  In  1850  the  list  of  Guilford  was  $34,006; 
in  1860,  $1.263,031  ;  and  in  1870,  $1,430,128.  The  great 
increase  of  the  town  list  between  1850  and  1860  is  explained 
by  the  fact  that  at  the  former  date  property  was  placed  in  the 
list  at  three  per  cent  of  its  assessed  value,  and  at  the  last  date 
at  its  full  assessed  valuation. 

The  village  or  borough  was  intended  to  have  been  laid  out 
after  the  form  of  New  Haven,  for  which  the  settlers  had  great 
regard,  although  it  presents  but  an  imperfect  resemblance.  The 
green  or  open  space  in  the  centre  is  much  smaller  than  that  of 
New  Haven.  Its  length  on  the  western  side  is  sixty -seven  and 
one-half  rods,  on  the  eastern  sixty-  six  and  one-quarter,  on  the 
northern  thirty  one  and  one-half;  and  on  the  southern  twenty- 
eight  and  one-half,  and  it  contains  eleven  and  three-quarter  acres 
and  eight  rods.1  The  ground  was  originally  uneven  and  dis- 
figured with  numerous  basins  or  pond  holes,  the  central  part  had 
been  injudiciously  used  for  a  grave  yard,  like  the  western  portion 
ot  the  public  square  of  New  Haven.  Some  sixty  or  more  years 
ago  the  pond- holes  were  filled  up  and  the  ground  partially 
leveled.  The  gravestones  and  monuments  were  removed  to 
the  new  cemeteries  laid  out  in  1817,  about  a  mile  on  either  side 


1  These  measurements  are  those  given  by  the  committee,  consisting  of  William 
Stone,  Samuel  Stone,  Ebenezer  Talman,  and  Michael  Hill,  who  measured  "  the 
square  or  green  in  said  Guilford  where  the  meeting  house  of  the  Old  Society  in  said 
town  stands,"  August  4,  1729. —  Guilford  Fourth  Book  of  Deeds,  120. 


38  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

east  and  west  of  the  village.  The  public  buildings  which  form- 
erly incumbered  the  green  have  all  been  removed,  the  last  being 
the  old  Episcopal  church  which  was  taken  down  in  1838.  The 
ancient  Congregational  church  was  removed  in  1830,  and  the 
Town-house  and  the  Academy  about  the  same  time.  The  in- 
habitants then  planted  the  elms  and  other  shade  trees  which  now 
so  suitably  embellish  the  green.  In  1837  the  green  was  enclosed 
with  a  simple  white  railing  for  which  a  private  subscription  of 
$35°  was  raised.  The  green  is  now  an  object  of  attraction 
to  all,  and  surrounded  as  it  is  with  comfortable  and  elegant 
houses,  large  and  commodious  churches,  it  presents  a  picture  of 
village  beauty  equal  to  any  in  New  England.  Its  location  is  in 
the  plain  at  the  bottom  of  the  vallev  which  is  overlooked  by 
Long  hill,  Clapboard  hill,  Hungry  hill,  and  other  eminences 
in  the  neighborhood.  Its  distance  is  sixteen  miles  from  New 
Haven,  thirty-four  south  from  Hartford,  and  thirty-six  from 
New  London  by  Saybrook,  and  about  thirty-four  by  Essexbo- 
rough.  [A  society  of  ladies,  formed  in  1874,  under  the  name 
of  United  Workers  for  Public  Improvement,  has  greatly  inte- 
rested itself  in  the  general  beautifying  of  the  borough,  by  the 
erection  of  lamps  in  the  green  and  along  the  different  streets,  and 
by  securing  general  attention  to  such  ornamentation  as  will  in- 
crease the  attractions  of  the  place  to  the  citizen  and  the  stranger.] 

The  road  through  Guilford  was  formerly  much  used  by 
travelers  from  New  York  to  Boston.  In  May  1794  it  was 
made  a  part  of  the  great  mail  route  from  Georgia  to  Maine. 

A  line  of  stages  was  run  upon  it  for  many  years  until  the 
introduction  of  steam  boats  on  the  sound  rendered  it  unprofitable. 
About  the  year  1832  the  stages  were  nearly  all  discontinued, 
but  in  1837  a  daily  line  from  Norwich  to  New  Haven  was 
established,  furnishing  Guilford  the  advantages  of  a  daily  mail. 
This  was  destined  to  continue  only  until  the  much  more  con- 
venient accommodations  of  rail  cars  should  be  introduced. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  39 

[The  general  assembly  of  Connecticut,  at  the  May  session 
1848,  chartered  the  New  Haven  and  New  London  Railway 
Company  to  construct  a  railway  from  New  Haven,  "  thence 
extending  easterly  through  the  towns  on  the  shore  of  Long 
Island  sound,  across  the  Connecticut  river"  to  New  London. 
This  company  contracted  in  1851  for  the  construction  of  the 
road,  which  brought  Guilford  in  direct  communication  by  rail 
with  both  New  Haven  and  New  London.  The  first  passen- 
ger train  was  run  over  the  road  from  New  Haven  to  the  river, 
July  i,  1852.  The  company  was  afterwards  united  with  one 
authorized  to  co.'.struct  a  road  from  New  London  to  Stoning- 
ton,  and  was  then  known  as  the  New  Haven,  New  London 
and  Stonington  Railroad  Company.  At  a  later  date  it  was 
reorganized  as  The  Shore  Line  Railroad  Company.  In 
November,  1870,  its  road  was  leased  by  this  company  to  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  and  Hartford  Railroad  Company,  for 
the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year,  which  com- 
pany now  runs  regular  trains  over  the  same,  supplying  great 
facilities  for  the  transportation  of  passengers  and  freight  to  and 
from  Guilford,  and  giving  it  direct  communication  with  New 
York  and  Boston.] 

Besides  the  cemeteries  already  mentioned,  one  was  laid  out 
at  Leete's  island  at  an  early  period,  one  at  Moose  hill  in  1801, 
and  another  at  Nut  plains  in  1817.  In  North  Guilford  there 
is  also  a  cemetery,  doubtless  laid  out  at  the  settlement  of  that 
society. 

The  health  of  Guilford  is  evinced  by  the  longevity  of  a  large 
proportion  of  its  inhabitants,  of  which  examples  are  given  in 
the  ages  of  the  ecclesiastical  and  civil  officers  mentioned  in  this 
work.  From  a  bill  of  mortality  kept  by  John  Burgis,  Esq., 
from  Jan.,  1746  to  1799,  a  period  of  fifty-three  years,  it  appears 
that  there  were  in  the  whole  town  2024  deaths,  which  makes 
the  average  annual  number  of  deaths  a  fraction  over  thirty- 


4O  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

eight.  The  greatest  mortality  was  in  1751,  1769,  1776,  1794 
and  1795,  being  in  these  years  no,  70,  70,  67  and  60.  The 
disease  prevalent  in  1751,  is  called  u  an  awful  epidemic,"  but 
its  appropriate  name  is  not  mentioned  j  that  in  1769  and  1776 
was  the  dysentery.  In  the  latter  year,  from  the  rapidity  with 
which  it  spread  among  those  who  went  into  the  army,  it  was 
usually  called  "  the  camp  distemper."  A  large  proportion  of 
deaths  in  1794  was  among  the  children,  many  of  whom  died  of 
scarlet  fever.  In  1795  nine  died  of  the  small  pox  contracted 
from  persons  who  had  left  the  pest-house  in  Haddam  in  a  filthy 
condition.  Nearly  two-thirds  of  the  deaths  in  those  sickly 
years,  were  in  the  First  Society.  The  deaths  occurring  in  its 
numbers  from  1799  to  January,  1832,  during  thirty-three 
years,  are  895,  a  fraction  over  twenty-seven  annually.  Suppos- 
ing the  average  population  during  this  period  to  have  been  1850, 
the  deaths  were  nearly  as  one  to  sixty-nine.  In  North  Guil- 
ford  the  average  annual  deaths  were  a  fraction  over  eight  in  an 
average  population  of  about  570,  so  that  the  general  state  of 
health  in  the  two  societies  is  nearly  the  same. 
The  mortality  from 

Guilford.       North  Guilford.     Total. 

1830 — 1840  was  311,  78,  389,  or  1.613  Per  cent 

1840—1850          323,  82,  405,  "  1.672  "       " 

1850-1860          357,  81,  438,  "  1.651   "       " 

1860 — 1870          398,         104,  502,  "  1.913  "       " 

1870—1875          168,          38,  206,  "  1.4       "       " 

It  should  have  been  mentioned  before  that  in  1837,  a  granite 
quarry  was  opened  at  Sawpitts,  about  a  mile  southeast  of  the 
village.  It  is  on  the  original  farm  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Whit- 
field,  about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  stone  house.  The  Leake 
and  Watts  Orphan  Asylum,  in  the  twelfth  ward  of  New  York 
city,  was  built  of  this  granite,  and  other  public  buildings  have 
obtained  building  material  from  this  quarry,  since  its  opening. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  4! 

Quite  recently  a  very  large  quarry  of  excellent  granite  has 
been  opened  at  Leete's  island,  which  has  been  extensively 
worked  by  the  proprietor,  John  Beattie. 

For  half  a  century  or  more  after  the  settlement  was  begun, 
medicines  were  purchased  by  the  town  and  used  as  common 
stock.  The  first  settlers  seem  to  have  had  quite  as  much  faith 
in  the  efficacy  of  quack  medicines  as  some  individuals  manifest 
at  the  present  time.  It  is  recorded  in  the  Town  Records,  vol. 
B,  75,  that  a  special  town  meeting  was  holden  July  3,  1679, 
u  to  consider  whether  the  inhabitants  would  buy  Mrs.  Cosster's 
Physic  and  Physical  drugs."  "  And  was  answered  by  a  unani- 
mous vote  that  they  would  buy  them."  And  in  such  repute 
were  the  good  lady's  drugs  holden  that  at  the  same  meeting  it 
was  considered  as  follows,  viz  :  "  The  question  was  further 
taken  whether  they  would  pay  for  them  by  a  free  contribution, 
or  by  a  town-rate,  and  it  was  given  the  town  also  to  understand 
that  the  payment  for  it  must  be  by  wheat  and  peas  and  some 
beef,  if  the  beef  were  suitable,  and  some  flax,  if  the  market  for 
flax  did  stand,  and  half  the  payment  to  be  made  the  next  spring, 
and  half  the  payment  the  next  spring  following."  "  To  this  it 
was  answered  by  a  unanimous  vote,  except  one  person,  that  it 
should  be  paid  by  a  town  rate,  and  in  the  specie  and  time  pro- 
posed." 

And  in  a  subsequent  town  meeting,  August  28th,  1679, 
"  Lieut.  Wm.  Seward  was  chosen  and  appointed  to  fetch  or 
procure  the  Physic  and  Physical  drugs  bought  of  Mrs.  Cosster, 
brought  to  Guilford  and  deliver  them  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Joseph  Elliott  for  the  town's  use." 

The  first  physician  of  whom  there  is  any  notice  in  the  records 
of  Guilford,  is  Bryan  Rossiter,  or  Bray  Rossiter  as  he  is  some- 
times called.  He  came  from  Windsor  to  Guilford  on  the  de- 
parture of  Mr.  Samuel  Disborough,  and  was  admitted  a  planter 
in  1651,  having  purchased  Mr.  Disborough's  large  estate.  The 
6 


42  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

following  list  comprises  all  the  regularly   educated   physicians 
who  have  practiced  in  the  town  : 

Bryan  Rossiter,  died  at  Guilford,  Sept.  30,  1672. 

Anthony  Lahore,  "     "          "        March  19,  1712. 

Nathaniel  Ruggles,  "     "         "         Oct.  16,  1794,  aged  82. 

John  Redfield,  "     "          "         May  16,  1813,  "      78. 

Thomas  Ruggles  Pynchon,  "    "          "         Sept.  10,  1796,  "      36. 

Jared  Redfield,  "    "         "                          1821,  "      50. 

Seth  H.  Rogers,  "    "          "         Feb.    6,     1807,  "      35. 

Lewis  Collins,  removed  from  Guilford. 

David  Marvin,  "            "          "         to  Hackinsack,  N.  J.,  181 1. 

Anson  Foote,  "    "         "         May    2,   1841,  "      57. 

Elias  Shipman,  removed  from  Guilford  to  New  Haven. 

Lyman  Strong,  "            "         "         to  Hebron  and  Colchester. 

Joel  L.  Griffing,  died  at  Guilford,  June  15,  1825,  aged  36. 

Joel  Canfield,  settled  in  Guilford  1824,  died  April  9,  1877. 

Elisha  Hutchinson,  "                "          1838,  removed  1849,  d.  Aug.  20,  1862. 

Alvan  Talcott,  "                "          1841. 

Gideon  Perry  Reynolds,          "  "          1870. 

The  following  physicians  have  been  settled  in  North  Guil- 
ford : 

Hosford,  moved  away 

David  Brooks,  removed  to  New  York,         died  Jan.        1826. 

Samuel  Fitch,  "     Aug.  8,  1847,  aged  71. 

Julius    Willard,  removed  to  Avon. 

Joel  Canfield,  "         to  First  Society,  1825. 

George  Kirtland,  died  Nov.  5,  1825,     "  25 

Richard  Dennison,  moved  away. 

Justin  W.  Smith,  removed  to  Stony  Creek. 

The  lands  included  in  the  borough,  on  which  the  people  first 
settled  (the  southern  part  of  a  black  loam  and  the  northern 
gravelly)  are  very  admirably  adapted  to  the  culture  of  grain,  corn, 
and  grass.  The  natural  richness  of  the  soil  on  the  great  plain 
is  much  increased  by  the  marine  shells  which  the  Indians  brought 
upon  it  and  which  have  been  left  to  decay  in  the  course  of  ages, 
as  is  also  true  of  the  soil  of  the  other  necks  and  points  of  land 
towards  the  sound.  The  English  also  made  much  use  of  these 
shells,  as  well  as  of  rockweed,  and  seaweed  ;  and  the  present  in- 
habitants more  recently  have  employed  white  fish  and  other  olea- 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  43 

ginous  fish  in  enriching  the  soil.  The  reasons  have  been  al- 
ready given  why  the  English  selected  these  lands  and  confined 
their  attention  pretty  much  to  them  for  years.  Another  circum- 
stance that  prevented  them  from  spreading  rapidly  abroad  was 
the  fact  that  they  did  not  understand  the  proper  method  of  sub- 
duing forests.  A  law  was  made  quite  early  that  every  planter 
should  clear  up  half  an  acre  yearly.  This  they  did  at  first,  as 
was  the  custom  in  other  parts  of  Connecticut,  by  digging  up  the 
trees  by  the  roots.  John  Scranton,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  at 
length  cleared  an  acre  in  a  different  manner,  and  astonished  the 
people  by  gathering  from  it  twenty  bushels  of  wheat,  and  from 
this  the  practice  of  clearing  the  land  by  cutting  down  the  trees 
spread  through  the  colony. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  land  west  of  West  river  and  south 
of  the  post  road  to  New  Haven,  is  poor.  Some  of  it  is  very 
stony,  containing  many  rocky  ledges,  and  some  is  swampy,  al- 
though more  particularly  about  Leete's  island  and  Sachem's 
bead  there  are  limited  tracts  of  very  strong,  productive  soil 
The  soil  of  Moose  hill,  a  moderate  elevation,  extending  into 
the  town  of  Branford,  is  well  adapted  for  grazing.  The  same 
is  true  of  Long  hill,  extending  on  the  west  side  of  West  river 
northward  into  North  Guilford.  Clapboard  hill,  east  of  the 
borough,  running  northward  between  East  creek  and  East  river, 
is  clayey  and  fertile,  and  less  liable  to  injury  by  drought  than 
the  lands  generally  in  the  neighborhood.  Most  of  the  other 
lands  in  the  First  Society  are  of  an  indifferent  quality. 

The  soil  in  North  Guilford  is  generally  gravelly  and  better 
adapted  to  grazing  than  for  the  growth  of  grain,  although  about 
Bluff"  head  there  is  some  clayey  and  sandy  soil. 

There  is  nothing  in  Guilford  which  merits  the  name  of  a 
mountain  except  the  bluff  just  mentioned.  This  is  the  north- 
eastern extremity  of  Totoket  or  Branford  mountain,  which 
extends  for  several  miles  into  North  Guilford,  and  nearly  crosses 


44  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

its  northwest  corner.  The  bluff  itself  is  very  steep  and  bold. 
It  is  the  southern  extremity  of  the  secondary  region  of  country, 
extending  south  along  both  sides  of  the  Connecticut.  A  high, 
rugged  hill,  or  rather  succession  of  steep  and  broken  basaltic 
cliffs,  stretches  south  along  the  western  shore  ofQuonapaugpond, 
terminating  in  North  Guilford.  The  change  in  the  appearance 
of  the  country,  as  you  proceed  south  towards  the  sea  shore,  is 
sudden  and  striking.  Instead  of  the  sand  hills  and  the  trap- 
rocks  of  the  region  just  passed,  you  meet  only  with  the  rigid  fea- 
tures of  granite  and  gneiss  rocks  and  a  hard  compact  soil,  while 
the  great  plain  is  of  an  alluvial  character,  bearing  impressive 
marks  of  the  sea  upon  it.  This  is  also  true  of  other  portions 
along  the  shore,  setting  back  into  the  land  like  bays  and  harbors. 

Formerly  wheat  was  raised  abundantly  in  this  town.  The 
First  Society  has  always  been  famous  for  the  cultivation  of  corn. 
As  much  as  a  hundred  bushels  have  been  raised  to  the  acre,  and 
instances  have  occurred  of  a  hundred  and  ten,  but  forty  bushels 
is  considered  a  good  yield.  Great  quantities  of  flax  were  formerly 
raised  of  a  good  quality.  The  other  principal  productions  of 
the  land  are  rye,  oats,  potatoes  and  grass,  while  latterly  turnips 
and  onions,  especially  in  the  borough,  have  been  found  to  afford 
remunerative  crops. 

In  consequence  of  the  hilly  or  stony  character  of  considera- 
ble portions  of  Guilford,  much  woodland  remains,  though  this 
is  being  gradually  cleared  off  for  home  consumption  and  export- 
ation as  fuel,  for  rail  road  ties,  2nd  for  ship  timber.  Latterly 
anthracite  coal  has  become  the  principal  fuel  employed  in  the 
borough,  being  delivered  at  the  Guilford  harbor  at  low  rates  of 
transportation,  and  it  is  gradually  being  introduced  instead  of 
wood  throughout  the  town.  Originally,  there  were  considera- 
ble quantities  of  cedar,  white  pine,  and  whitewood  in  Guilford, 
but  the  prevailing  kinds  of  wood  now  to  be  found  are  hickory 
pf  several  varieties,  the  oaks  and  chestnut. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  45 

Menunkatuck  or  West  river,  repeatedly  mentioned  in  this 
work,  rises  in  Quonepaug  pond  in  North  Guilford,  runs  south 
and  passing  along  the  west  border  of  Guilford  borough,  empties 
into  Guilford  harbor.  The  pond  which  gives  rise  to  this  stream 
is  about  two  miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and  from  a  fourth 
to  a  half  a  mile  wide.  It  is  said  to  be  sixty  feet  deep  in 
some  places.  In  a  spring,  a  few  rods  above  this  pond,  at  the 
foot  of  Bluff  head,  a  stream  rises  which  runs  northward  through 
Durham  into  Middletown,  which  is  also  called  West  river. 

The  interval  along  these  streams  furnishes  a  fine  location  for 
a  road  constructed  as  far  as  Durham  street,  where  the  Guilford 
turnpike  strikes  the  road  from  New  Haven  to  Middletown. 
This  turnpike  was  granted  in  1824,  and  was  called  the  Guilford 
and  Durham  turnpike.  It's  length  is  thirteen  and  a  half  miles 
from  Guilford  green,  and  seventeen  and  half  miles  from  Sachem's 
head  on  'the  sound.  The  capital  stock  of  the  company  was 
$5100,  or  divided  into  fifty-one  shares  of  $100  each. 

There  has  never  been  any  turnpike  company  formed  on  the 
great  thoroughfare  from  New  Haven  to  Saybrook,  but  the  road 
has  always  been  very  good. 

East  creek,  a  small  stream,  or  rather  brook,  noticed  as  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  borough,  rises  in  the  limits  of  the  First 
Society  and  empties  into  the  East  river  near  its  mouth. 

East  river,  or  Ruttawoo,  rises  in  several  brooks,  the  principal 
of  which  is  Stillwater  brook,  in  the  north  and  northwestern 
parts  of  North  Madison.  It  takes  a  southwestern  course  and 
discharges  its  waters  into  Guilford  harbor.  Near  its  mouth  are 
two  wharves  called  the  Sawpits-quarry  wharf  and  Farmers  wharf, 
both  convenient  for  the  navigation  of  the  river  ;  further  up  are 
the  two  wharves  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  at  East  river  bridge, 
which  are  at  the  head  of  sloop  navigation. 

Guilford  harbor  affords  but  an  indifferent  station  for  vessels. 
It  has  six  feet  of  water  on  the  bar  at  its  entrance  at  low,  and 


46  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

twelve  feet  at  full  tide.  On  the  flats  adjacent  round  and  long 
clams  of  a  very  superior  quality  are  taken  by  the  inhabitants, 
and  Guilford  oysters,  taken  from  the  channel  of  East  river,  are 
noted  as  among  the  best  in  Connecticut.  Their  flavor  is  pe- 
culiarly agreeable  and  readily  recognized  by  the  epicure.  They 
are,  however,  taken  in  but  small  quantities  and  held  at  a  high 
price.  Oysters  are  also  taken  in  West  river,  but  they  are  of  a 
different  species  and  inferior  in  quality. 

An  application  was  made  to  congress  in  1837  for  an  appro- 
priation for  the  building  of  a  breakwater,  which  would  probably 
have  been  obtained  had  it  not  been  for  the  critical  condition  of 
the  commercial  affairs  of  the  country,  which  so  crippled  its  re- 
sources that  no  new  harbor  improvements  could  be  undertaken. 
The  application  has  not  been  renewed. 

Two  miles  west  of  Guilford  harbor  is  a  small  but  good  harbor 
land-locked  or  rather  rock- locked  on  all  sides  except  the  southwest 
where  the  entrance  is  narrow.  This  is  known  as  Sachem's 
head.  It  has  a  small  wharf  with  considerable  depth  of  water. 
About  fifty  rods  from  this  stood  the  celebrated  Sachem's  Head 
House,  which  was  for  many  years  a  fashionable  summer  water- 
ing place.  The  house  was  large  and  commodious,  adapted  for 
the  accommodation  of  several  hundred  guests,  and  supplied  with 
grounds,  beautifully  laid  out  for  the  amusement  of  visitors. 
Destroyed  by  fire  in  June,  1865,  it  has  not  since  been  rebuilt. 

Sachem's  head  received  its  name  from  the  memorable  battle 
with  the  Pequotsin  1636.  A  Pequot  sachem  with  a  few  of  his 
men,  having  crossed  the  Connecticut  river,  was  flying  westward. 
In  attempting  to  secrete  himself  on  the  point  of  land  south  of 
this  harbor  he  was  pursued  by  Uncas,  sachem  of  the  Mohegans, 
and  his  men,  aided  by  some  English  soldiers.  The  Pequots 
swam  across  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  but  were  seized  as  they 
came  to  the  opposite  bank.  The  sachem  was  ordered  to  be 
shot.  Uncas  executed  the  sentence  with  an  arrow,  then  cut  off 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  47 

his  head  and  stuck  it  up  in  the  fork  of  a  large  oak  tree,  directly 
at  the  head  of  the  harbor,  where  the  skull  remained  for  many 
years. 

This  harbor  was  formerly  much  used  as  a  station  for  night 
by  vessels  traversing  the  sound  before  light  houses  were  erected, 
especially  in  the  cold  and  stormy  seasons  of  the  year.  Before 
the  revolutionary  war  it  was  also  a  favorite  place  for  the  ship- 
ping of  cattle  for  the  West  India  trade,  driven  hither  not  only 
from  this  town  but  from  towns  on  the  Connecticut  river,  par- 
ticularly from  Middletown. 

A  little  southwest  from  this  harbor  and  to  the  east  of  Leete's 
island  is  another,  not  much  used,  called  Great  harbor.  It  is 
shallow  and  not  convenient  for  vessels.  Formerly  shad  and 
bass  were  sometimes  caught  within  its  limits  in  considerable 
quantities  in  the  spring  of  the  year. 

A  little  east  of  Sachem's  head  is  a  place  called  Bloody  cove, 
where  a  skirmish  occurred  and  some  blood  was  shed  in  a  battle 
fought  between  the  Indians,  before  the  capture  of  the  Pequot 
sachem  just  mentioned.  This  was  prior  to  the  settlement  of 
Guilford  by  the  English. 

Although  the  Indians  at  Guilford  removed  from  the  town 
immediately  after  the  purchase  from  Shaumpishuh,  the  Indian 
sachem  queen,  with  the  exception  of  some  few  infirm  Indians 
and  their  families,  to  whom  the  privilege  of  remaining  on  the 
land  of  their  fathers  was  specially  reserved  in  the  original  deed, 
yet  such  were  their  numbers  at  Branford  and  East  Haven,  that 
the  English  at  Guilford,  as  well  as  other  towns,  were  obliged  to 
take  the  precaution  of  keeping  a  constant  watch  for  a  long 
period,  from  which  none  were  privileged.  Several  houses  were 
palisaded,  the  house  of  worship  was  guarded  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  the  people  were  convened  for  public  service  by  the  beat  of 
the  drum.  Eventually  this  became  a  custom  and  was  afterwards 
adopted  as  a  means  of  convening  the  people  for  public  worship 


48  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

in  East  Guilford  and  North  Guilford.  A  bell  was  not  purchased 
until  about  1715  or  1720,  after  the  second  meeting  house  was 
completed. 

There  seems  not  to  have  been  that  hostility  between  the  first 
settlers  of  Guilford  and  the  Indians  which  existed  in  other  parts 
of  the  country,  and  there  are  no  accounts  of  skirmishes  or  battles 
with  them  in  this  vicinity,  such  as  occurred  so  frequently  and 
sometimes  with  such  disastrous  consequences  in  other  places. 

In  1676,  during  the  memorable  war  against  King  Philip,  the 
town  voted  to  fortify  two  houses,  one  of  which  was  that  of  their 
clergyman,  Mr.  Joseph  Elliott,  on  the  south  west  corner  of  the 
green,  and  to  bear  in  common  all  damage  done  by  the  enemy. 
Some  of  the  inhabitants  were  called  into  actual  service  in  1685, 
and  the  town  "  granted  ten  acres  of  land  to  every  soldier  that 
served  in  the  Indian  war"  under  Robt.  Treat  or  Mr.  John 
Talcott. 

In  1676,  it  was  also  agreed  in  town-meetings  which  were 
held  March  9,  13  and  28,  by  unanimous  votes,  that  after  the 
first  day  of  April  then  next  ensuing,  whatever  damage  should 
come  to  the  housing  of  any  individual,  either  within  or  without 
the  fortification,  should  be  borne  and  made  up  by  the  town  in 
general. 

In  1745,  Col.  Andrew  Ward  of  Guilford  commanded  a  com- 
pany in  the  expedition  against  Louisburg,  capital  of  Cape  Breton, 
and  some  of  the  inhabitants  accompanied  him. 

During  the  second  French  war,  many  persons  from  Guilford 
went  into  the  army,  of  whom  an  unusually  large  number  died 
by  sickness,  though  there  is  no  notice  of  any  falling  in  battle. 
In  one  campaign,  perhaps  in  more,  Gen.  Ward,  the  son  of  Col. 
Andrew  Ward  just  mentioned,  commanded  a  company,  having 
Mr.  Enos  Bishop  of  North  Bristol  as  his  lieutenant.  In  another 
campaign,  Col.  Ichabod  Scranton  of  East  Guilford  commanded 
a  company  with  Abraham  Tyler  (afterwards  Col.  Tyler  of 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  49 

Haddatn)  as  his  lieutenant.  In  the  revolutionary  war  several 
attempts  were  made  by  the  enemy  to  injure  the  town.1  In 
June,  1777,  the  house  of  Solomon  Leete  of  Sachem's  Head  was 
burned  by  a  party  from  a  British  ship  in  the  sound,  whose 
tenders  had  come  into  that  harbor.  On  the  i8th  of  June, 
1781,  a  party  of  British  with  some  refugees  [about  150  men], 
as  was  supposed,  landed  [from  two  brigs  and  a  schooner]  at 
Leete's  island  and  burned  a  house  with  two  barns  belonging  to 
Daniel  Leete,  but  were  prevented  from  destroying  other  pro- 
perty by  the  rallying  of  the  people.  In  a  skirmish,  which  took 
place  at  that  time,  two  men,  Simeon  Leete  the  head  of  a  family, 
and  Ebenezer  Hart,  were  mortally  wounded  and  died  soon  after. 


1  [The  following  extract,  from  the  Connecticut  Journal,  contained  in  Barber's  Con- 
necticut Historical  Collections,  pp.  219-220,  gives  an  account  of  a  military  expedi- 
tion from  Guilford  during  the  revolutionary  war  : 

Guilford,  May  29th,  1777. 

General  Parsons  having  received  intelligence  that  the  enemy  had  collected,  and 
were  collecting,  large  quantities  of  forage,  at  Sagharbor,  on  Long  Island,  last  Friday, 
about  200  of  the  continental  troops  who  had  previously  redezvous'd  at  Sachem's 
Head,  in  •  Guilford,  embarked  on  board  a  number  of  whale  boats,  commanded  by 
Lieut.  Col.  Meigs,  to  destroy  it;  at  about  six  o'clock,  afternoon,  they  arrived  at  the 
beach,  this  side  of  Plum-gut,  and  transported  their  boats  about  fifty  rods,  over  the 
beach,  where  they  again  embarked,  and  landed  several  miles  from  Sag  Harbor,  where 
(after  leaving  a  suitable  guard  to  protect  the  boats)  they  marched  with  such  secrecy, 
as  not  to  be  discovered  till  within  a  few  rods  of  the  sentry  ;  they  soon  set  about  de- 
stroying the  forag:-,  etc.  As  the  enemy  stationed  there,  were  entirely  off  their  guard, 
our  troops  met  with  little  opposition ;  an  armed  schooner  of  twelve  guns,  which  lay 
not  far  from  the  shore,  kept  an  incessant  fire  on  them,  but  happily  did  them  no 
damage.  Our  people  returned  the  fire  with  their  small  arms,  but  whether  with 
effect  is  not  known  ;  five  or  six  of  the  enemy  on  shore,  were  destroyed,  and  three 
or  four  made  their  escape,  the  others  were  made  prisoners.  Our  people  set  fire  to 
the  hay  (about  100  tons)  which  was  on  board  transports,  and  on  the  wharves,  which 
was  entirely  destroyed,  with  ten  transport  vessels,  mostly  sloops  and  schooners,  and 
one  armed  vessel  of  six  or  eight  guns,  two  or  three  hogsheads  of  rum,  etc.  Our 
troops  are  all  returned,  having  performed  their  expedition  in  24  hours. 

Return  of  prisoners  taken  at  Sag  Harbor.  One  captain,  two  commissaries,  three 
sergeants,  fifty-three  rank  and  file,  ten  masters  of  transports,  twenty-seven  seamen,  in 
the  whole  ninety-six.  Our  people  brought  off  fifty  muskets.  One  of  the  commissaries 
above  mentioned,  is  Mr.  Joseph  Chew,  formerly  of  New  London.] 

7 


50  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

An  attempt  was  made  in  another  instance  by  the  crew  of  a 
whale  boat,  to  do  mischief  at  Leete's  island,  but  the  enemy  was 
repulsed  by  the  guard  stationed  there,  and  one  of  their  number 
being  killed  was  left  dead  on  the  shore. 

The  persons  who  have  been  just  mentioned,  viz :  Simeon 
Leete  and  Ebenezer  Hart,  together  with  Capt.  Phinehas  Meigs 
of  East  Guilford  and  a  Mr.  Ludington,  who  fell  at  East  Haven 
heights,  and  an  Indian  who  fell  in  some  other  part  of  the 
country,  are  said  to  have  been  the  only  persons  belonging  to 
Guilford  who  were  killed  in  the  revolutionary  war,  although 
quite  a  number  died  of  exposure  and  camp-diseases.1 

[During  the  recent  civil  war,  Guilford  contributed  300  men 
to  the  national  army,  of  whom  sixty  laid  down  their  lives  before 
its  close.  In  commemoration  of  their  patriotism  and  bravery, 


1  [The  whole  number  of  citizens  of  Guilford  who  died  during  the  revolutionary 
war,  either  from  wounds  received  in  battle,  or  from  camp-diseases,  exposure,  etc., 
was  twenty.  Their  names  and  ages  are  as  follows  : 

Timothy  Barnes, 32. 

David  Field,              son  of  David, 48. 

William  Fairchild,       "    Lewis, 17. 

Lewis  Fairchild,            "          "     19. 

Joseph  Hotchkin,         "    Thomas, 17. 

Ebenezer  Hart,              "    Thomas, 24. 

Eber  Hall,                      "    Hiland, 41. 

Abner  Leete,                 "    Roland, 23. 

Timothy  Ludington. 

Simeon  Leete,            son  of  Peletiah, 28. 

Seth  Morse,                     "       John, 26. 

Capt.  Jehiel  Meigs,       "       Jehiel, 33. 

Bridgeman  Murray,       "       Jonathan, 20. 

Wait  Munger,                "       Jonn> ....  49. 

Capt.  Phineas  Meigs,    "      John, 73. 

Samuel  Stevens,             "       Nathaniel, 22. 

Abel  Saxton,                  "      Simeon, 20. 

Daniel  Stone,                  "       Daniel, 40. 

William  Sabine. 

Samuel  Ward,  son  of  Thelus, 17. 

A.  T.] 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  5! 

it  is  proposed  to  erect  a  monument  on  the  village  green,  for 
which  a  handsome  sum  of  money  has  already  been  secured. 
The  corner  stone  was  laid  on  decoration  day,  May  30,  1877, 
at  which  time  an  appropriate  address  was  delivered  by  Rev.  W. 
H.  H.  Murray  of  Boston.] 

Guilford  was  the  third  town  settled  in  the  ancient  colony  of 
New  Haven,  of  which  it  remained  a  part  until  its  union  with 
the  colony  of  Connecticut  in  1664.  Milford  and  Guilford 
were  both  settled  during  the  year  1639,  the  former  in  February, 
and  the  latter  in  September.  Guilford  was  settled  at  its  com- 
mencement entirely  by  the  followers  and  personal  friends  of 
Mr.  Desborough  and  Mr.  Whitfield,  but  in  Milford,  as  in  most 
of  the  other  towns,  Mr.  Prudden  brought  with  him,  in  addition 
to  those  who  accompanied  him  from  England,  many  who  united 
themselves  with  his  fortunes  in  this  country.  Mr.  Whitfield 
with  his  followers  were  not  at  the  celebrated  meeting  at  Mr. 
Newman's  barn  in  New  Haven,  June  1639,  described  by  Dr. 
Trumbull,  in  the  History  of  Connecticut,  and  by  most  others  who 
have  written  of  that  period  of  the  history  of  New  Haven  colony. 
At  that  meeting  the  Scriptures  were  formally  acknowledged  as 
the  rule  of  procedure  in  civil  as  well  as  ecclesiastical  affairs,  in 
which  all  power  was  lodged  in  the  church,  and  professors  of 
religion  only  were  allowed  the  privileges  of  freemen  and  to  hold 
office  in  the  community.  These  general  principles  were,  how- 
ever, recognized  in  the  rules  adopted  for  the  government  of 
Guilford.  Mr.  Desborough,  Mr.  Leete  and  Mr.  Whitfield  did 
not  subscribe  to  the  constitution  adopted  by  the  New  Haveners 
because  they  did  not  then  consider  themselves  a  part  of  that 
community,  yet  they  recognized  the  same  principles  in  the 
policy  of  the  colony  which  they  founded,  and  to  perpetuate  them 
they  entered  into  the  compact  by  which,  in  1643,  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  colony  of  New  Haven  was  established.  The  chief 
principle  of  the  "  combination,"  as  it  was  sometimes  called, 


52  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

and  in  which  it  materially  differed  from  the  colony  of  Connec- 
ticut, was  that  all  power  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  church. 
To  this  rule  no  plantation  appears  to  have  adhered  more  rigidly 
than  Guilford  ;  and  although  the  adoption  of  this  mistaken  sys- 
tem of  policy  seems  to  have  occasioned  much  inconvenience 
and  disquiet  in  Milford,  Stamford  and  Southold,  yet  none  is 
recorded  in  the  records  of  this  plantation. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the  six  persons  who  pur- 
chased the  land  in  behalf  of  the  planters  were  to  hold  it  in 
trust  for  them  until  a  church  should  be  formed  to  whom  the 
power  should  be  committed,  but  in  fact  until  that  time  only 
four  persons  were  intrusted  with  civil  power,  viz :  Robt. 
Kitchel,  William  Chittenden,  John  Bishop,  and  William 
Leete,  for  the  administration  of  justice  and  the  preservation  of 
the  peace.  When  the  church  was  formed  in  1643,  the  pur- 
chasers from  the  Indians  accordingly  resigned  the  deed  to  it,  and 
these  four  persons  declared  that  their  power  had  ceased  by  the 
formation  of  the  church.  It  was  then  expressly  agreed  that  the 
body  of  freemen  should  consist  of  church  members  only,  and 
that  they  should  be  the  sole  electors  of  magistrates,  deputies  and 
other  officers  of  importance.  Notwithstanding  this  agreement, 
however,  in  town  meetings  called  for  the  purpose  of  dividing 
lands,  constructing  roads,  etc.,  all  the  planters  were  permitted 
to  attend  and  participate.1 

The  government  of  the  New  Haven  colony,  after  the  forma- 
tion of  the  jurisdiction  or  combination  in  1643,  was  vested  in  a 
general  court  for  purposes  affecting  the  whole  community, 
which  court  consisted  of  two  branches  ;  one  composed  of  the 
governor,  deputy  governor  and  three  or  more  magistrates  selected 
from  those  most  distinguished  for  their  talents,  integrity  and 
patriotism,  by  the  general  voice  of  the  freemen  annually  ;  the 
other  consisting  of  deputies  elected,  in  some  of  the  towns  semi- 
annually,  but  in  Guilford  annually,  to  meet  in  the  spring  and 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  53 

fall  of  each  year.  This  court,  in  its  collective  and  public 
capacity,  was  sometimes  called  the  legislature  of  the  colony,  but 
much  oftener  "  the  general  court  for  the  jurisdiction." 

The  supreme  executive  power,  both  civil  and  military,  was  in 
the  hands  of  the  governor  and  deputy  governor,  the  judiciary  in 
that  of  the  governor  and  the  magistrates.  Under  this  general 
government  each  town  had  a  government  of  its  own,  for  the 
management  of  its  individual  affairs,  peculiar  to  itself.  This 
originated  from  the  circumstance  that  the  individual  towns,  at 
their  settlement  in  1638-39  and  40,  were  separate  independent 
governments  and  plantation?  by  themselves,  and,  on  their  uniting 
in  a  jurisdiction  or  combination  for  mutual  defence,  they  re- 
tained their  individual  forms  of  government  except  so  far  as 
the  general  policy  of  the  whole  was  concerned. 

The  method  by  which  the  rating  of  the  individuals  in  a  town 
was  effected,  for  the  support  of  a  plantation  and  as  a  part  of  the 
jurisdiction,  was  the  same  as  the  modern  method  of  assessment, 
and  those  appointed  to  make  a  valuation  of  the  property  were 
styled  assessors.  The  method  of  listing  the  property,  which 
was  so  long  in  use  afterwards,  was  borrowed  from  Connecticut. 

The  deputies  to  assist  in  the  general  court  for  the  jurisdiction 
were  chosen  annually  in  the  month  of  May  or  June,  and  the 
other  officers,  such  as  townsmen,  plantation  magistrates  or  as- 
sistants, secretary  or  clerk,  treasurer,  marshal,  assessors,  etc. 
were  chosen  at  the  same  time  or  at  annual  meeting  held  a  few 
weeks  later.  The  deputies  or  assistants  to  the  magistrate,  who 
sat  with  him  in  the  particular  courts  were  two,  three,  and  some- 
times four  in  number.  They  met  with  the  chief  magistrate  of 
the  plantation,  who  was  also  one  of  the  magistrates  of  the  com- 
bination, quarterly  on  the  first  Thursday  in  September,  Decem- 
ber, February  and  May  of  every  year.  In  these  courts  the 
presiding  magistrate  resided  in  the  town.  They  had  cognizance 
of  civil  matters  and  lower  felonies.  Their  power  extended  also 


54  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

originally  to  the  probate  of  wills,  to  granting  letters  of  administra- 
tion, and  to  the  division  and  settlement  of  estates.  The  probate 
of  wills,  etc.,  was  transferred  to  the  judiciary  of  the  combination. 

Mr.  Desborough  was  the  first  person  appointed  magistrate  for 
Guilford,  and  his  earliest  assistants,  chosen  by  the  freemen  of 
the  town,  were  Wm.  Chittenden,  Wm.  Leete  and  Robert 
Kitchel,  and  soon  after  Mr.  John  Bishop.  Mr.  John  Jordan 
sometimes  supplied  the  place  of  one  of  these,  and  later  Mr.  Geo. 
Hubbard  and  Mr.  John  Fowler  were  occasionally  chosen.  Mr. 
Desborough  continued  chief  magistrate  till  1651,  when  Mr. 
Wm.  Leete  was  chosen  and  continued  until  the  union  of  the 
governments  of  Connecticut  and  New  Haven.  It  is  said  that 
the  assistants  were  confirmed  by  the  legislature,  but  of  this 
there  is  not  any  certain  proof  with  regard  to  Guilford,  although 
it  seems  to  have  been  true  of  Milford  and  Stamford. 

One  of  the  rules  adopted  by  the  first  settlers  of  Guilford  was 
that  no  man  should  put  more  than  ,£500  into  the  common  stock 
for  purchasing  and  settling  the  town,  and  that  no  man  should 
sell  or  purchase  his  rights  without  leave  of  the  town.  It  was 
further  ordered  that  every  planter,  after  paying  his  proportionate 
share  of  the  expenses  arising  from  buying  out  and  settling  the 
plantation,  should  draw  a  lot  or  lots  of  land  in  proportion  to  the 
money  or  estate  expended  in  the  general  purchase  and  the 
number  of  members  in  his  family.  These  rules  were  evidently 
intended  to  prevent  too  great  disparity  in  the  circumstances  of 
the  people. 

The  first  settlers  were  most  of  them  gentlemen  of  some  rank 
and  estate  in  their  native  country,  and  came  over  for  the  pur- 
pose of  enjoying  the  exercise  of  their  religious  feelings  in  their 
own  way,  as  well  as  what  they  considered  political  and  moral 
freedom.  For  this  they  were  willing  to  sacrifice  all  the  en- 
dearments and  privileges  of  their  native  land  and  to  exchange 
the  home  of  their  fathers  for  a  distant  and  uncultivated  wilder- 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  55 

ness.1  It  has  often  been  said  that  they  fled  from  religious  per 
secution  and  intolerance,  and  that  it  was  strange  that  after  they 
had  experienced  so  much  from  this  spirit  in  their  own  country, 
they  should  show  similar  feelings  towards  the  Quakers,  and 
others  holding  sentiments  dissimilar  to  their  own,  who  came 
among  them.  But  a  moment's  reflection  will  convince  us  that 
the  course  they  pursued  was  not  singular.  We,  living  amid  all 
the  luxuries  of  cultivated  society,  and  enjoying  the  freedom  and 
homes  which  they  procured  for  us,  are  ill-fitted  to  conceive  the 
extent  of  their  sacrifices  of  not  only  natural  but  also  civil  and 
artificial  privileges.  They  had  not  only  to  tame  the  forest,  and 
encounter  the  wild  beast  and  savage,  but  also  to  weave  anew 
the  bonds  of  government  and  bind  the  broken  links  of  society. 
And  it  has  been  truly  said  that  their  governments  for  the  first 
fifty  years  after  the  settlement  of  New  England,  were  though 
secure,  held  together  as  with  a  rope  of  sand  which  was  liable  to 
be  broken  away  by  the  first  political  disturbance.  The  New 
Haven  colony,  indeed,  during  the  whole  period  of  its  existence 
as  a  separate  plantation,  had  no  distinct  and  positive  charter  as 
a  constitution  for  their  government.  Besides  the  first  settlers 
fled  from  their  native  land,  not  to  escape  religious  intolerance 


1  "  And  who  were  they,  our  fathers  ?'     In  their  veins 
Ran  the  best  blood  of  England's  gentlemen  ; 

Her  bravest  in  the  strife  on  battle  plains, 
Her  wisest  in  the  strife  of  voice  and  pen ; 

Her  holiest,  teaching,  in  her  holiest  fanes, 
The  lore  that  led  to  martyrdom  ;  and  when 

On  this  side  ocean  slept  their  wearied  sails, 

And  their  toil-bells  woke  up  our  thousand  hills  and  dales, 

Shamed  they  their  fathers  ?  Ask  the  village  spires 
Above  their  Sabbath  homes  of  praise  and  prayer; 

Ask  of  their  children's  happy  household  fires, 
And  happier  harvest  noons ;   ask  summer's  air, 

Made  merry  by  young  voices,  when  the  wires 

Of  their  school  cages  are  unloosed." —  HallecK's  Connecticut. 


56  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

but  to  practice  their  own  system  of  religious  and  civil  freedom 
apart  by  themselves.  Mr.  Whitfield's  company,  on  their  first 
settlement  in  Guilford,  drafted  a  constitution  for  their  govern- 
ment, in  which  they  say  that  "  the  mayne  ends  which  wee  pro- 
pounded to  ourselves  in  our  coming  hither  and  settling  down 
together  are  that  wee  may  settle  and  uphold  the  ordinances  of 
God  in  an  explicit  Congregational  church  way  with  most  purity^ 
peace  and  liberty  for  the  benefit  both  of  ourselves  and  posterities 
after  us."  Such  undoubtedly  were  the  views  of  most  of  the 
settlers,  civil  freedom  and  religious,  to  those  of  their  own  sect 
who  had  been  so  much  persecuted  in  England.  They  were 
willing  to  leave  their  homes  and  friends  for  this  purpose,  and 
for  this  too  they  were  willing  to  take  up  a  part  of  the  desolate 
wilderness  far  away  from  civilized  society,  but  in  exchange  they 
promised  to  themselves  that  they  would  form  for  themselves  a 
home  of  their  own  in  which  those  of  similar  views  might  have 
a  home  and  society,  and  hence  they  left  the  other  portions  of 
the  wilderness,  without  their  own  territorial  limits,  to  those  dis- 
senters, who  suffered  similar  intolerance  to  that  which  they  had 
suffered  in  their  own  country  but  whose  opinions  and  sentiments 
differed  from  theirs.  For  this  reason,  as  has  been  said,  they 
provided  in  the  language  of  the  constitution  just  quoted  and 
added.  "  We  do  now  therefore  all  and  every  of  us  agree, 
order  and  conclude  that  only  such  planters  as  are  also  mem- 
bers of  the  church  here  shall  be  and  be  called  freemen,  and  that 
such  freemen  only  shall  have  power  to  elect  magistrates,  depu- 
ties and  other  officers  of  public  interest,  or  authority  in  matters 
of  importance  concerning  either  the  civil  affairs  or  government 
here  from  amongst  themselves  and  not  elsewhere  and  to  take  an 
account  of  all  such  officers  for  the  honest  and  faithful  discharge 
of  their  several  places  respectively,"  thereby  making  their  gov- 
ernment strictly  republican  and  making  those  in  office  directly 
responsible  to  the  freemen  collectively.  That  justice  might  be 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  57 

speedily  administered,  they  further  agreed  that  the  judges  should 
check  all  crimes  and  misdemeanors  immediately.  And  that 
they  might  bind  themselves  together  under  this  constitution, 
which  they  had  formed,  and  which  certainly  contains  many  of 
the  best  principles  of  our  present  palladium  of  liberty,  they 
further  agreed  freely  to  submit  themselves  to  the  magistrates, 
deputies  and  other  officers  to  be  chosen  u  yearly  from  time  to 
time,"  providing  also  that  no  laws  or  orders  be  by  them  made 
except  before  all  the  planters  then  and  there  inhabiting  and  resid- 
ing [whether  freemen  or  not]  due  warning  and  notice  of  the 
meeting  being  made,  so  that  what  is  to  be  done  may  be  under- 
stood and  known,  that  thus  all  weighty  objections  may  be  duly 
alluded  to  and  considered,  and  according  to  righteousness  satis- 
fyingly  removed.  And  it  was  afterwards  concluded  and  ordered 
that  in  all  general  courts  (consisting  of  the  magistrates  and  de- 
puties who  were  also  appointed  to  keep  particular  courts)  all 
orders  shall  be  made  by  the  major  part  of  the  freemen,  and  all 
actions  in  particular  courts  shall  be  sentenced  by  the  major  vote 
of  the  magistrate  and  deputies,  except  that  the  magistrate  have  a 
casting  vote  when  equally  divided.  From  which  it  appears  that 
they  were  willing  that  dissenters  of  any  other  sect  should  settle 
in  the  new  country  which  they  had  chosen,  provided  they  would 
not  interfere  with  their  individual  policy.  They  had  been  per- 
secuted and  driven  from  their  native  country  because  they  were 
Congregationalists  and  Puritans,  and  they  wished  to  enjoy  their 
sentiments  here  unmolested  by  those  who  had  no  sentiments  in 
common  with  them,  who  endeavored  to  destroy  the  religious 
and  political  bonds  by  which  they  had  bound  their  new  society 
and  government  together. 

They  wished  also,  and  they  succeeded  with  no  inconsidera- 
ble success,  in   transmitting  their  principles  to  their  posterity. 
Doctor  Dwight  says  in  his  Travels  (vol.  1 1,  p.  514),  "  that  the 
inhabitants  of  this  town  more  than  most  others  in  this  state  have 
8 


58  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

retained  the  ancient  manners  of  the  New  England  colonists 
Parents  are  regarded  by  their  children  with  a  peculiar  respect 
derived  not  only   from  their  domestic  government  and  persona 
character,  but  in  a  considerable  degree  from  the  general  state  of 
manners.      Old  people  are  in  a  similar  degree  revered  by   the 
young,  and  laws  and  magistrates  at  large.     Private  contentions 
have  heretofore  been  rarely  known,  and  lawsuits  so  rare  that  no 
lawyer  till  lately  has  ever  been  able  to  acquire  a  living  in  town. 
The  weight  of  public  opinion  has  been  strongly  felt,  and  diffused 
a  general   dread   of   vice."     No  inhabitant    has   ever  suffered 
capital  punishment. 

Paupers  were  formerly  distributed  about  in  different  families, 
where  they  were  boarded  at  the  expense  of  the  town.  About 
1795,  the  practice  was  adopted  of  employing  a  family  to  take 
them  all  in  a  body  into  a  house  and  to  provide  for  them,  charging 
for  the  articles  consumed.  In  1814,  a  building  with  a  iot  of 
land  was  purchased  in  the  west  part  of  the  borough,  with  a 
view  to  the  forming  of  an  alms  house  establishment,  for 
$1600;  which  sum  with  that  required  to  build  an  addition  to 
the  house  amounted  to  $2080.  In  this  house  the  poor  of  the 
town,  varying  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  in  number,  were 
supported  until  the  division  of  the  town.  A  family  was  procured 
to  live  in  the  house  to  take  charge  of  the  paupers,  the  cost  being 
somewhat  under  one  thousand  dollars  per  year.  By  this  arrange- 
ment there  was  a  saving  of  some  hundreds  of  dollars  annually. 
Upon  the  division  of  the  town,  the  public  property  was  also 
divided,  and  Guilford  took  the  town  mill,  while  the  alms 
house  building  fell  to  the  share  of  Madison.  After  this  division 
the  poor  were  kept  for  some  years  in  private  families.  [In 
1850,  however,  a  house  and  lot,  east  of  the  village,  were  pur- 
chased from  the  heirs  of  Timothy  Seward,  at  a  cost  of  $1,650, 
and  an  alms  house  for  the  town  paupers  was  reestablished. 
The  building,  becoming  dilapidated  and  in  great  need  of  repairs, 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  59 

was  sold,  and  the  present  alms  house  purchased  for  $1,800, 
in  1868,  from  the  heirs  of  George  Parmelee.] 

A  system  of  public  policy  for  the  regulation  of  the  govern- 
ment and  the  civil  affairs  of  the  town  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  established  until  the  church  was  gathered,  "  the  nineteenth 
day  of  the  fourth  month,  1643,"  or  according  to  the  modern 
mode  of  reckoning,  June  19,  O.  S.,  or  June  29,  1643,  N.  S., 
and  until  that  day,  as  previously  stated,  power  of  all  kinds  was 
provisionally  vested  in  the  hands  of  Robert  Kitchel,  William 
Chittenden,  John  Bishop  and  William  Leete,  or  in  the  language 
of  the  constitution  before  mentioned  u  into  their  hands  we  did 
put  full  power  and  authority  to  act,  order  and  dispatch  all  matters 
respecting  the  public  weale  and  civile  government  of  the  planta- 
tion until  a  church  was  gathered  among  us,  which  the  Lord  in 
mercy  having  now  done  according  to  the  desire  of  our  hearts, 
the  said  four  men  at  the  public  meeting  having  resigned  up  their 
trust  as  most  safe  and  suitable  for  securing  of  those  mayne  ends 
for  which  we  come  hither, "  thereupon  the  civil  polity  of  the 
plantation  was  formed. 

The  earliest  record  was  written  Aug.  14,  1645.  This  is  on 
the  first  page  of  the  Records,  vol.  A,  and  is  a  minute  of  the 
doings  of  the  particular  or  general  court  holden  that  day,  and 
reads  as  follows  : 

"August  14,  1645. 

u  Mr.   Samuel   Disbrow,  Richard  Bristow,   Thomas 

"  Betts,  members  of  the  church,  and  Thomas  French, 

"  planter,  took  their  oath  " 

from  which  it  appears  that  but  little  had  been  previously  reduced 
to  record,  for  Samuel  Desborough  had  always  been  the  magistrate 
of  the  plantation  from  its  very  commencement.  The  following 
minutes  on  the  records  after  this,  relate  to  some  decision  of  the 
court  and  to  the  affairs  of  the  mill : 

"  At  a  court  held  January  8,  1645-6.    It  was  ordered 


6O  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

that  all  men  shall  bring  in  from  time  to  time,  and  for 
the  time  past,  all  sales,  exchanges  and  conveyances  of 
land  to  the  next  general  court  or  courts  held  in  this 
town  after  such  sales  or  exchanges,  that  so  what  is 
done  may  remain  for  the  benefit  of  posterity  and  the 
better  preservation  of  the  peace." 

And  afterwards  the  exchanges  and  deeds  are  mentioned  merely 
and  approved  by  the  court  until  April  10,  1648,  when  a  book  of 
terryers  of  land  was  ordered  to  be  kept  and  every  individual  in 
the  town  ordered  to  bring  in  a  list  of  the  land  owned  by  him  as 
well  as  house  lots  or  out  lots  that  a  record  might  be  made. 
The  title  of  the  book  is  as  follows,  viz  : 

"  A  booke  of  the  Terryers 
of  all  the  divided  lands  in  Guilford 
according  as  they  were  at  first  divided 
whether  by  lots  or  otherwise  upon 
request  of  particular  persons  or  upon 
what  considerations  were  thus 
disposed  together  with  all  the 
alienations  which  have  since 
been  made  by  purchase 

gift  or  exchange  as 
Dated  Apr.  the  followeth,  viz." 

10,  Ano  1648. 

And  on  the  same  title  page  is  the  following  note,  viz  : 
"  Whatever  is  set  down  in  the  book  with 
a  date  or  without  mention  of  the  date  is 
confirmed  unto  the  person  under  whom 
it  is  recorded  as  a  first  grant  [or  lot]  to  him 
and  allowed  as  unquestionable  title  to  the 
said  lands  for  him  and  his  heirs  forever 
unless  an  act  be  recorded 
expressing  particularly  the  alienation 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  6l 

of  all  or  any  parts  or  parcel  of  the 
same  and  bearing  date  since  the 
first  dace  of  the  book  aforesaid." 

The  first  record  is  of  the  terryer  of  Mr.  Samuel  Disborough, 
the  chief  magistrate,  beginning,  as  is  the  case  with  all  the  others, 
with  a  description  of  his  house  lot,  or  home  lot,  as  it  is  often 
called,  and  next  of  the  arable  land  adjoining,  next  of  marsh  land. 
This  land  of  Mr.  Disborough  according  to  the  record  was  the 
lot  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Ebenezer  Redfield.  It  appears  by 
this  record  that  these  lands  were  sold  to  Doct.  Bryan  Rossiter 
and  the  sale  approved  by  the  town  Oct.  10,  1651,  and  they  de- 
scended to  Josiah  Rossiter,  afterwards  town  clerk  and  one  of 
the  magistracy  and  council,  March  n,  1672.  This  terryer 
occupies  several  pages  and  specifies  the  whole  terryer  of  Josiah 
Rossiter  and  all  the  conveyances  and  terryers  to  him  or  his 
father  Doct.  Rossiter. 

The  next  record  is  to  Mr.  William  Chittenden,  and  is  simi- 
larly arranged,  occupying  four  pages. 

These  records  contain  the  names  of  all  the  first  settlers  who 
were  living  in  1648,  or  who,  having  died,  left  heirs.  They  are 
commenced  in  the  handwriting  of  Gov.  Leete  and  continued  in 
that  of  the  subsequent  town  clerks.  The  record  of  each  parcel 
of  land  as  set  to  the  different  individuals  is  very  short,  not  usu- 
ally more  than  from  four  to  six  lines.  This  book  is  called  the 
first  volume  of  the  proprietors'  records. 

As  there  was  no  public  record  of  the  purchases  of  the  lands 
from  the  Indians,  the  general  court  ordered,  the  next  year,  that 
such  a  record  should  be  made.  The  first  volume  of  the  town 
records  mentioned  was  first  devoted  to  the  registry  of  the  doings, 
trials,  pleadings  and  decisions  of  the  particular  courts,  the  meet- 
ings of  the  general  courts  of  elections  and  the  registry  of  ear- 
marks, marriages  and  deaths,  but  not  of  deeds  at  full  length,  the 
constitution  of  the  colony,  and  other  more  lengthy  writings. 


62  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

The  second  book,  called  and  entitled,  Guilford  Booke  of  the 
more  fixed  Orders  for  the  Plantation,  therefore  was  ordered  to 
be  kept,  and  it  commences  thus,  viz  : 

"  January  3151  1649  "  —  [*•  e-  according  to  our  reckoning 

1650.] 

u  Upon  a  review  of  the  more  fixed  agreements, 
"  laws  &  orders  formerly  &  from  time  to  time  made 
"The  General  Court  here  held  the  day  &  year  aforesaid 
44  thought  fit  agreed  and  established  them  according 

"  to  the  Ensuing  draft  as  followeth,  viz  — 
"  first  we  do  acknowledge,  ratify,  confirm  and  allow 
the  agreement  made  in  Mr.  Newman's  barn  at  Quil- 
lipeack  now  called  New  Haven,  that  the  whole  lands 
called   Menunkatuck  should  be  purchased  for  us  and 
our  heirs,  but  the  deed,  writings  thereabout  to  be  made 
and  drawn  (from  the  Indians)  in  the  name  of  these 
six    planters    in    our    steads  viz.      Henry   Whitfield, 
Rob1  Kitchell,  William  Leete,  William  Chittenden, 
John   Bishop  and  John  Caffinge,  notwithstanding  all 
and  every  planter  shall  pay  his  proportionable  part  or 
share  towards  all  the  charges  and  expenses  for  pur- 
chasing, selling,  securing  or  carrying  on  the  necessary 
public  affairs  of  this  plantation  according  to  such  rule 
and  manner  of  rating  as  shall  be  from  time  to  time 
agreed  on  in  this  plantation."     "  The  drafts  of  which 
purchase  or  writing  are  as  followeth  viz."     And  then 
follows  a  copy  of  the  deed  from  the  sachem  squaw,  a  like  copy 
of  the  deed  from  Uncas  of  the  east  part  of  the  town  this  side  of 
Tuxis  pond,  next  the  letter  of  gift  from  Mr.    George  Fenwick 
of  Saybrook  of  the  land  between  the  grant  of  Uncas  and  Ham- 
monassett  river  to  the  town  and   Mr.  Whitfield  in  particular, 
and  Mr.  Whitfield's  grant  of  his  share  to  the  town  on  his  leav- 
ing the  plantation  in  1651,  etc. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  63 

The  letter  of  Mr.  Fenwick  about  Hammonassett  is  recorded 
at  full  length,  and  displays  much  of  the  character  and  firmness 
of  the  original  Puritans  and  their  fellow-feeling  for  each  other. 
It  contains  a  part  of  the  original  conveyance  of  Uncas  the 
Mohegan  to  him,  that  is,  that  part  which  lies  between  Tuxis 
pond  and  the  Hammonassett  river,  now  forming  and  included 
in  the  eastern  part  of  Madison. 
The  original  letter  is  as  follows : 

Mr.  Leet :  I  have  been  often  moved,  by  Mr. 
Whitfield  to  enlarge  the  bounds  of  your  plantation 
which  otherwise,  he  told  me,  could  not  comfortably 
subsist,  unto  Athammonassett  river;  to  gratify  so 
good  a  friend  and  to  supply  your  wants  I  have  yielded 
to  his  request,  which  according  to  his  request  by  this 
bearer  I  signify  to  you  for  your  own  and  the  planta- 
tion's better  satisfaction,  hoping  it  will  be  a  means 
fully  to  settle  such  who  for  want  of  fit  accommoda- 
tion begun  to  be  wavering  amongst  you,  and  I  would 
commend  to  your  consideration  one  particular  which 
I  conceive  might  tend  to  common  advantage,  and  that 
is,  when  you  are  all  suited  to  your  present  content, 
you  will  bind  yourselves  more  strictly  for  continuing 
together  ;  for  however  in  former  times  (while  chap- 
men and  money  were  plentiful)  some  have  gained  by 
removes,  yet  in  these  latter  times  it  doth  not  only 
weaken  and  discourage  the  plantation  deserted,  but  also 
wastes  and  consumes  the  estates  of  those  that  remove. 
Rolling  stones  gather  no  moss  in  these  times,  and 
our  conditions  now  are  not  to  expect  great  things. 
Small  things,  nay  moderate  things,  should  content  us, 
a  warm  fireside  and  a  peaceable  habitation  with  the 
chief  of  God's  mercies,  the  gospel  of  peace,  is  no  ordi- 
nary mercy  though  other  things  were  mean.  I  in- 


64  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

tended  only  one  word,  but  the  desire  of  the  common 
good  and  settlement  hath  drawn  me  a  little  further. 
For  the  consideration  Mr.  Whitfield  told  me  you 
were  willing  to  give  me  for  any  purchase,  I  leave  it 
wholly  to  yourselves.  I  look  not  to  my  own  profit  but 
to  your  comfort.  Only  one  thing  I  must  entreat  you 
to  take  notice  of,  that  when  I  understood  that  that 
land  might  be  useful  for  your  plantation,  I  did  desire 
to  express  my  love  to  Mr.  Whitfield  and  his  children, 
and  therefore  offered  him  to  suit  his  own  occasions, 
which  he,  more  intending  your  common  advantage  than 
his  own  particular,  hath  hitherto  neglected,  yet  my 
desire  now  is  that  you  would  suit  him  to  his  content, 
and  that  he  would  accept  of  what  shall  be  allotted 
him  as  a  testimony  of  my  love  intended  to  him,  before 
I  give  up  any  interest  to  your  plantation,  and  that 
therefore  he  may  hold  it  free  from  charge  as  I  have 
signified  to  himself.  I  will  not  now  trouble  you  fur- 
ther but  with  my  love  to  yourself  and  plantation  rest, 

Your  loving  friend  and  neighbor, 
Seabrooke,  Oct.  22d,  1645.       GEORGE  FENWICK. 

If  you  consider  John  Mepham  for  his  wife's  sake 
and  for  mine,  I  shall  take  it  kindly. 

Mr.  Whitfield,  as  has  been  stated  before,  sold  out  his  right  in 
the  Hammonassett  land,  Aug.  20, 1650,  to  the  plantation  for  £20. 

All  these  records  are  in  the  handwriting  of  Gov.  Leete.  But 
a  deed  from  Weekwash  of  the  land  in  the  Neck,  September 
20,  1641,  to  Mr.  Whitfield  (covering  nearly  the  same  grounds 
as  the  subsequent  deed  from  Uncas,  December  17,  1641),  and 
the  constitution  of  the  plantation  which  follows,  are  in  a  hand- 
writing different  from  that  of  Mr.  Leete,  and  remarkably  hand- 
some for  those  times.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  written  by 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  65 

Mr.  Whitfield.  The  deed  of  the  sachem  squaw,  Shaumpishuh, 
seems  to  have  had  less  formality  than  the  deed  of  Uncas,  and 
is  as  follows  : 

"  The  purchase  from  the  Sachem  Squaw. 

"  Articles  of  agreement  made  and  agreed  on  the 
2gth  of  September,  1639  [O.  S.,  October  9,  1639, 
N.S.]  between  Henry  Whitfield,  Robt.  Kitchel, 
William  Chittenden,  Wm.  Leete,  John  Bishop  and 
Jno.  Caffinch,  English  planters  of  Menunkatuck  and 
the  sachem  squaw  of  Menunkatuck  together  with  the 
Indian  inhabitants  of  Menunkatuck  as  followeth  : 

Firstly,  that  the  sachem  squaw  is  the  sole  owner, 
possessor  and  inheritor  of  all  the  lands  lying  between 
Ruttawoo  and  Ajicomick  river. 

Secondly,  that  the  said  sachem  squaw  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  Indians  there  inhabiting  [who  are  all 
together  with  herself  to  remove  from  thence]  doth 
sell  unto  the  foresaid  English  planters  all  the  lands 
lying  within  the  aforesaid  limits  of  Ruttawoo  and 
Ajicomick  river. 

Thirdly,  that  the  said  sachem  squaw  having  re- 
ceived twelve  coats,  twelve  fathom  of  wampum, 
twelve  glasses  [mirrors],  twelve  pairs  of  shoes,  twelve 
hatchets,  twelve  pairs  of  stockings,  twelve  hoes,  four 
kettles,  twelve  knives,  twelve  hats,  twelve  porringers, 
twelve  spoons,  two  English  coats,  professeth  herself 
to  be  fully  paid  and  satisfied. 

John  Higginson,  \w-  (Sachem  Squaw,  her  mark. 

Robt.  Newman,  /  V  ^  Henry  Whitfield,    in    the 

(^      name  of  the  rest. 

This  deed   including  all  the  land   between   Stony  creek  or 
Ajicomick,  and  Ruttawoo  or  East  river,  from  the  sea  northward, 
9 


66  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

and  the  deeds  of  Weekwash  and  Uncas  aforementioned,  which 
last  seem  to  include  nearly  the  same  territories  as  the  convey- 
ance of  Mr.  Fenwick  before  mentioned,  which  originally  came 
from  Uncas,  seem  to  include  all  the  limits  of  the  old  town  of 
Guilford,  that  is  from  Stony  creek  aforesaid  to  Hammonassett 
river.  The  descriptions  of  the  land  conveyed  in  the  deed  from 
Uncas  are  more  at  length  and  are  as  follows  : 

Articles  of  agreement  made  and  agreed  upon  the  1710 
day  of  Dec.  1641,  between  Henry  Whitfield,  Robert 
Kitchel,  Wm.Chittenden,  Wm.  Leete,  John  Bishop, 
John  Caffinch,  John  Jordan  and  the  rest  of  the  Eng- 
lish planteis  of  Menunkatuck  and  Uncas  the  Mohe- 
gan  sachem  as  followeth,  viz  : 

Imprimis.  That  Uncas,  the  Mohegan  sachem  afore- 
said is  the  right  true  and  sole  owner,  possessor  and 
inheritor  of  all  those  lands  lying  between  the  East 
river  of  Menunkatuck  called  Moosamattuck,  consisting 
of  uplands,  plainlands,  woods  and  underwoods,  fresh 
and  salt  marshes,  rivers,  ponds,  springs,  with  the  ap- 
purtenances belonging  to  any  of  the  said  lands  and  the 
river,  brookeor  creeke,  called  Tuckshishoagg  near  unto 
Muttomonossuck  which  belong  to  Uncas  or  any  other 
Indians.  And  that  he  the  said  Uncas  hath  absolute 
and  independent  power  to  alien,  dispose  and  sell  all 
and  every  part  of  the  said  lands  together  with  the 
island  which  lyeth  in  the  sea  before  the  said  lands 
called  by  the  English  Falcon  island,  and  by  the  Indians 
Messanaumuck. 

Secondly.  That  the  said  Uncas  doth  covenant  with 
the  said  English  planters  of  Menunkatuck  aforesaid 
that  he  hath  not  made  any  former  gift  or  grant,  sale 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  6j 

or  alienation  of  the  said  lands  or  any  part  of  them  to 
any  person  or  persons  whatsoever,  and  that  he  will 
warrant  the  same  and  make  good  the  title  thereof  to 
the  said  English  planters  and  their  heirs  against  all 
men  whatsoever  whether  Indians  or  others. 

Thirdly.  The  said  Uncas  for  and  in  consideration 
of  four  coats,  two  kettles,  four  fathoms  of  wampum, 
four  hatchets,  three  hoes,  now  in  hand  paid  or  to  be 
paid,  doth  bargain  and  sell  unto  the  foresaid  English 
planters  of  Menunkatuck  all  and  every  part  of  par- 
ticulars formerly  mentioned  lying  between  the  East 
river  of  Menunkatuck  and  Tuckshishoagg  as  is 
aforesaid,  to  them  and  their  heirs  forever,  by  whatso- 
ever they  are  or  have  been  usually  called,  with  all  the 
rights,  privileges  or  royalties  of  fishing.  And  that  it 
shall  not  be  lawful  for  the  said  Uncas  or  any  of  his 
men,  or  any  others  for  him,  to  set  any  trapps  for  deer 
in  the  said  lands  or  any  wares  in  the  rivers  for  to  catch 
fish,  but  to  leave  it  wholly  to  the  use  and  possession 
of  the  English  planters  aforesaid,  so  far  as  our  bounds 
hereafter  to  be  set  out  doth  limit  them. 

Fourthly.  In  that  divers  Indians  have  seemed  to  lay 
claims  to  these  lands  aforesaid,  as  the  sachem  squaw 
of  Quillipiack  and  Weekwosh  through  her  right,  the 
one-eyed  squaw  of  Totoket  and  others.  To  this  he 
saith  that  he  hath  spoken  with  all  the  Indians  of  Quilli- 
piack, together  with  the  sachem  squaw,  the  one-eyed 
squaw  and  the  rest,  and  they  do  all  acknowledge  that 
the  right  of  the  said  land  now  sold  by  Uncas  is  Uncas 
his  child's.  He  reporteth  also  that  Weekwosh  did 
confess  to  him  that  this  land  aforesaid  did  belong  to  his 
child.  There  were  also  at  the  agreement-making  two 
sachems,  the  name  of  the  one  was  Ashawmutt,  the 


68  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

other  Nebeserte,  who  also  affirmed  the  same  that 
Uncas  his  child  was  the  true  heir  of  said  lands. 

The  bounds  of  this  land  which  we  have  purchased 
is  as  followeth,  viz.,  from  the  East  river  to  Tuckshi- 
shoagg  by  the  seaside  from  the  lesser  river  as  it  goes 
as  far  as  the  marsh  which  is  near  the  head  which  we 
judge  to  be  eight  miles  off,  from  the  East 

river  where  the  Connecticut  path  goes  over  half  a  mile 
above  the  said  place  where  we  go  over  on  a  bridge  or 
tree  lying  over,  from  thence  it  goes  up  east  and  by  north 
in  the  woods,  which  bounds  he  is  by  promise  to  set  out 
to  us  in  the  Spring.  Uncas  or  Poquiam  his  mark. 

Henry   Whitfield,   ^         Uncas  squaw,  her  mark. 
Samuel  Disborow,     }•  witnesses. 
John  Jordan. 

We  the  planters  of  Mennunkatuck  aforesaid  do 
covenant  with  Uncas  or  Poquiam  that  if  at  any  time 
any  inconvenience  or  annoyance  at  any  time  shall 
arise  to  the  English  planters  of  Menunkatuck  by  the 
misdemeanors  or  evil  dealings  of  the  Indians  which 
are  his  men  or  from  himself,  they  shall  and  will  at  all 
times  come  to  the  English  upon  notice  given  them  and 
make  them  such  satisfaction  as  the  English  shall  re- 
quire according  to  right,  and  if  any  of  the  English 
planters  of  Menunkatuck  shall  do  any  wrong  to  him 
or  any  other  Mohegan  Indians  under  his  Government, 
upon  complaint  made  to  the  English  Magistrates  and 
officers  there  shall  be  made  just  satisfaction  by  them 

according  to  right. 

WILLIAM  LEETE,  Secretary. 

The  purchase  deed  from  Weekwosh  was  made  a  short  time 
before  this  by  Mr.  Whitfield  alone,  and  is  as  follows,  viz : 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  69 

"  The  purchase  from  Weekwosh." 
Be  it  known  by  these  presents  that  I  Weekwosh  of 
Pasquishunk  do  give  unto  Henry  Whitfield  all  the 
land  called  the  Neck  lying  beyond  the  East  river  in 
Menunkatuck  which  reacheth  unto  Tuckshishoagg 
with  all  the  profits  that  do  belong  to  the  said  ground. 
In  witness  of  which  bargain  ^  Weekwosh,1  his  mark. 
John  Jordan, 
Samuel  Disborow, 
Thomas  Jordan. 

Memorandum  before  these  witnesses  :  Weekwosh 
did  avow  himself  to  be  the  right  owner  of  this  land 
and  that  he  had  true  right  unto  it  as  given  him  by  the 
sachem  squaw  of  Quillipiag. 

A  frieze  coate,  a  blanket,  an  Indian  coate,  one  fad- 
dom  of  Dutchman's  coate,  a  shirt,  a  pair  of  stockings, 
a  pair  of  shoes,  a  faddom  of  wampum.  In  lieu  of 
such  things  repaid  by  the  town  these  are  to  witness 


1  Wequash,  sachem  of  the  Niantic  Indians  in  Connecticut,  died  at  an  early  period 
after  the  settlement  of  Lyme,  and  is  buried  at  the  Christian  Indian  burying  ground 
on  the  west  side  of  the  bay  near  the  mouth  of  the  Niantic  river.  His  memorial 
stone  says,  "  He  was  the  first  convert  among  the  New  England  tribes."  This  may 
be  a  mistake.  *  *  *  Mr.  Shepard  wrote  concerning  this  Pequot  :  "  Wequash, 
the  famous  Indian  at  the  river's  mouth  is  dead  and  certainly  in  heaven.  He  knew 
Christ,  he  loved  Christ,  he  preached  Christ  up  and  down,  and  then  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom for  Christ." — Allen's  American  Biographical  Dictionary. 

"  One  Wequash  Cook,  an  Indian,  living  about  Connecticut  river's  mouth,  and 
keeping  much  at  Saybrook  with  Mr.  Fenwick,  attained  to  good  knowledge  of  the 
things  of  God  and  salvation  by  Christ,  so  as  he  became  a  preacher  to  other  Indians, 
and  labored  much  to  convert  them,  but  without  any  effect,  for  within  a  short  time 
he  fell  sick,  not  without  suspicion  of  poison  from  them,  and  died  very  comfortably." — 
Savage's  PPintbrop's  Neiu  England,  u,  74. 

Capt.  Israel  Stoughton,  August  14,  1637,  writes  to  Gov.  Winthrop:  "For  Wequash, 
we  fear  he  is  killed;  and  if  he  be,  'tis  a  mere  wicked  plot,  and,  seeing  he  showed 
faithfulness  to  us,  and  for  it  is  so  rewarded,  it  is  hard  measure  to  us-ward ;  and  what 
is  meet  to  be  done  therein,  is  difficult  to  me  to  conclude :  I  shall  therefore  desire 
your  speedy  advice." — Savage's  Wintbropi  New  England,  i,  400. 


7O  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

that  I  Henry  Whitfield  do  freely  give  and  make  over 
all  that  right  and  title  to  the  Neck  of  land  expressed 
in  this  writing  being  given  or  sold  by  Weekwash  the 
Indian  unto  me,  to  the  town  of  Guilford  to  the  use  of 
them  and  their  heirs.  In  witness  hereof  I  have  sett 
to  my  hand  the  2Oth  of  September,  Anno  1650. 

HENRY  WHITFIELD. 

A  reservation  was  appended  to  the  first  deed  from  the  sachem 
squaw  in  words  as  follows,  viz  : 

"  The  names  of  the  Indians  that  are  to  sit  down  at 
Ruttawoo  [East  river]  Suksqua,  Quissuckquonoh  his 
wife  and  two  children,  Commonasnock,  Aquaihamish 
a  blind  Indian,  Chamish  a  dumb  old  man  and  his  wife, 
Aiasomut,  his  wife  and  two  children,  Meishunok,  his 
wife  and  two  children,  Pauquun,  his  wife,  one  child, 
Mequunhut  and  his  one  child,  Koukeshihu,  his  wife 
and  two  children,  Metuckquashish  and  his  one  child 
Ponaim,  Wantumbeourn  and  his  one  child,  Assoweion 
and  his  one  wife. 

WILLIAM  LEETE,  Sec. 

These  deeds  conveyed  all  the  rights  of  the  Indians  to  the 
land  along  the  sea  and  extending  back  by  indefinite  bounds,  ex- 
cept the  deed  from  Uncas  which  extended  from  the  sea  north 
to  where  the  original  Connecticut  path  goes.  The  deed  from 
Uncas  to  Mr.  Fenwick  being  on  the  Saybrook  records  —  this 
left  the  north  part  of  the  town  subject  to  the  claims  of  the 
Indians,  descendants  of  the  sachem  squaw,  Weekwosh  and 
others. 

On  the  I3th  of  January,  i66f,  Mr.  Wm.  Leete  and  Samuel 
Kitchel  purchased  of  Uncas  and  his  son  Ahaddon,  all  the  land 
lying  north  of  Uncas'  previous  grants  to  the  north  boundary  of 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  Jl 

the  town,  and  at  a  town-meeting,  March  n,  166$,  Mr.  Leete 
propounded  the  purchase  of  the  land  beyond  the  East  river  which 
Mr.  Leete  and  Samuel  Kitchel  bought  of  Uncas,  whether  the 
town  will  have  it  and  pay  the  price  of  it,  and  the  town  in  the 
same  meeting  declared  that  they  would  have  it  and  pay  the  price 
for  it."  Vol.  5,  page  20. 

This  deed  is  recorded  in  vol.  6  at  the  back  part,  and  is  as 
follows,  viz  : 

11  A  deed  of  Sale  from  Uncas." 
Witness  this  writing  made  betwixt  William  Leete 
and  Samuel  Kitchel  on  the  one  part  and  Uncas  the 
Mohegan  and  his  son  Ahaddon,  alias  Joshua,  on  the 
other  part,  that  we  the  said  Uncas  and  Ahaddon,  being 
the  rightful  heirs  and  possessors  of  all  the  lands  roy- 
alties and  privileges  betwixt  the  East  river  of  Guilford 
and  Athammonassett  river,  and  having  sold  most  part 
of  that  land  to  Mr.  Fenwick  and  unto  Guilford  men 
long  since,  i.e.,  all  beneath  Connecticut  path  to  the 
seaside,  for  valuable  considerations  already  had  and 
received,  do  now  of  our  freewill  bargain  and  sell  all 
the  rest  of  the  lands  royalties  and  privileges  to  us  be- 
longing, which  land  runs  half  way  to  Matowepesack, 
which  right  came  to  us  by  Uncas'  marriage  of  the 
daughter  of  Sebequenach  who  dwelt  at  Athammonas- 
sett, and  she  was  mother  to  the  said  Ahaddon.  We 
say  these  lands  rights  royalties  and  privileges  we  do 
sell  and  deliver  up  unto  the  said  William  Leete  and 
Samuel  Kitchel  to  them  and  their  heirs  forever  for 
and  in  consideration  of  an  Indian  coat  worth  thirty 
shillings  and  a  shirt  cloth  worth  ten  shillings  now  had 
and  received  of  the  said  William  Leete  and  Samuel 
Kitchel  :  in  testimony  of  the  truth  of  all  the  premises 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


well  interpreted  and  understood  by  us  we  have  set  to 
our  hands  this  I3th  of  January  1663. 

It  was  after  the  former 
writing  agreed  that  Uncas  or 
his  son  shall  have  leave  to 
hunt  in  fit  seasons  within  these 
tracts  observing  the  directions 
of  the  said  English  and  doing 
no  hurt  to  them  or  their  cattle. 
Dated  January  13,  1663. 


In  the  presence 

of 

Thomas  Chittenden, 
John  Chittenden, 
Andrew  Leete. 


The  mark  of  Uncas  ~|  Mohegan 
Sachem 


The  mark  of  Ahaddon 


alias  Joshua. 


Recorded  by  Josiah  Rossiter 

The  above  marks  are  rough  facsimiles  of  rough  imitations  of 
a  turtle  as  the  mark  of  Uncas  and  a  deer  as  the  mark  of  Ahaddon. 

The  reader  will  probably  be  reminded  of  the  allusion  of  the 
novelist  Cooper  in  The  Last  of  the  Mohicans  to  this  emblem 
of  the  tribe,  when  he  speaks  of  it  as  the  noblest  among  the  In- 
dian tribes,  and  as  commanding  peculiar  respect  when  seen  by 
the  scattered  relics  of  that  once  powerful  tribe. 

Afterwards  the  inhabitants  not  being  fully  satisfied  with  the 
title  derived  from  Shaumpishuh  the  sachem  squaw,  at  a  town- 
meeting,  January  5,  1686,  "there  was  chosen  as  a  committee 
Mr.  Andrew  Leete,  Thomas  Meacock,  Sergt.  Stephen  Bradley, 
and  Josiah  Rossiter  to  treat  with  an  Indian  called  Nausup  be- 
longing to  New  Haven,  or  any  other  Indian  or  Indians  laying 
claim  to  some  part  of  our  town  bounds ;  and  if  the  said  committee 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  73 

come  to  see  and  find  the  said  Indian  or  Indians  to  be  proper 
heirs  of  or  to  the  sachem  squaw  formerly  of  Menunkatuck  that 
the  said  committee  are  to  bargain  with  the  said  Indian  or  Indians 
for  the  tract  of  land  lying  on  the  west  side  of  our  bounds  for  a 
settlement,  and  that  if  a  deed  of  sale  be  made  by  the  said  Indian 
or  Indians  to  the  committee  above  appointed  in  their  names  in 
behalf  of  all  the  planters  of  Guilford  they  shall  bear  the  charge 
and  expense  of  the  purchase."  Guilford  Records,  vol.  B,  page 
105.  Accordingly  the  said  committee  on  the  2d  day  of  Feb., 
1686,  procured  the  following  deed  from  the  said  Nausup  alias 
Quatabacot  as  follows,  viz  : 

"  A  deed  of  sale  from  Nausup. 

Articles  of  agreement  made  and  agreed  upon  the 
second  day  of  Feb^,  in  the  year  1686,  between  An- 
drew Leete,  Thomas  Meacock,  Stephen  Bradley,  and 
Josiah  Rossiter  of  Guilford  on  the  one  part,  and  Qua- 
tabacot alias  Nausup,  Indian,  of  New  Haven  on  the 
other  part.  The  above  said  Quatabacot  being  son 
and  heir  to  a  sachem  squaw  formerly  belonging  to 
Guihord,  which  said  squaw  was  the  whole  and  sole 
proprietor  of  all  the  lands  lying  between  a  place  for- 
merly called  Agicomook  now  called  Stony  creek  on 
the  western  part,  and  Ruttawoo  now  called  the  ast 
river  on  the  eastern  part  in  Guilford  and  so  running 
from  the  sea  up  northerly  unto  Pesuckapaug  which  is 
at  the  north  part  of  the  bounds  of  Guilford,  which  said 
sachem  squaw  hath  formerly  sold  a  considerable  part 
of  the  above  mentioned  tract  of  land  unto  the  planters 
of  Guilford,  as  will  appear  more  fully  by  a  written  deed 
of  sale  from  said  sachem  squaw  dated  the  2Qth  of 
September  in  the  year  1639. 

Know  all  men  therefore  by  these  presents  that 
10 


74  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Quatabacot  alias  Nausup  above  named  Indian  of  New 
Haven  being  heir  to  the  above  named  sachem  squaw 
and  so  right  owner  of  all  the  remainder  of  the  above 
mentioned  tract  of  land,  the  said  Quatabacot  doth  now 
fully  confirm  and  ratify  what  his  said  mother  hath 
formerly  sold  as  above  said,  and  he  doth  now  for  and 
in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  sixteen  pounds  mer- 
chant's pay,  and  12  shillings  in  money  in  hand  truly 
paid  as  he  doth  hereby  acknowledge  the  receipt  and 
thereof  and  therefrom  doth  acquit  &  discharge  the 
above  mentioned  party  &  for  divers  other  good  causes 
and  considerations  him  thereunto  especially  moving, 
here  and  by  these  presents  doth  grant  bargain  sell  alien 
infeoff  confirm  and  make  over  unto  the  above  said 
Andrew  Leete,  Thomas  Maycock,  Stephen  Bradley 
and  Josiah  Rossiter,  in  the  behalf  of  them  and  all  the 
planters  of  Guilford,  and  to  their  heirs  and  assigns  for 
ever  all  the  remainder  part  of  the  above  mentioned 
tract  of  land  which  lyeth  adjoining  unto  the  former 
purchase  of  lands  which  were  bought  of  the  above 
mentioned  sachem  squaw  and  so  now  both  purchases 
lying  or  adjoining  together  as  it  lyeth,  bounded  by  the 
sea  on  the  south,  by  Stony  creek  on  the  west,  and  so 
running  up  on  the  west  side  of  the  west  pond,  and 
from  thence  to  the  east  side  of  Pesuckapaug  pond 
about  half  a  mile  eastward  of  the  said  pond  at  the  west 
side  of  a  high  hill  there,  and  easterly  by  the  East  river 
and  so  adjoining  to  a  purchase  formerly  bought  of 
Uncas  sachem  of  Mobegans  running  up  on  the  east 
side,  also  as  high  as  Pesuckapaug,  this  to  have  and  to 
hold  with  all  and  singular  rights,  privileges,  advantages 
and  appurtenances  whatsoever,  together  with  all  up- 
lands, meadows,  swamps,  river,  brooks  and  ponds  of 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  75 

all  sorts  whatsoever,  and  the  said  Quatabacot  doth 
hereby  covenant  to  and  with  the  party  above  named, 
that  they  and  their  heirs  and  assigns  shall  peaceably 
and  quietly  hold  and  enjoy  the  said  premises  without 
any  manner  of  lett,  molestation,  disturbance,  challenge 
claim  or  demand  whatsoever,  either  by  the  said  Qua- 
tabacot his  heirs  or  any  under  him  laying  claim  or 
pretending  to  any  right  to  any  part  of  lands  or  any 
privileges  within  the  bounds  or  limits  of  the  township 
of  Guilford  whatsoever  :  and  before  signing,  the  In- 
dians here  named  doth  testify  that  the  said  Quatabacot 
is  the  true  heir  unto  the  above  named  sachem  squaw, 
and  that  the  said  squaw,  mother  to  the  said  Quata- 
bacot was  the  sachem  squaw  of  Menunkatuck  who 
formerly  sold  a  part  of  the  land  of  Guilford  to  the 
planters  thereof.  They  also  testify  that  the  said 
Quatabacot's  sister  called  Shambisqua  has  no  right  to 
any  part  of  land  within  the  bounds  of  Guilford  and 
that  the  said  Quatabacot  is  the  true  proprietor  to  the 
lands  above  mentioned  to  be  hereby  bargained  and 
sold  as  above.  To  the  true  performance  of  all  the 
premises  above  mentioned  the  said  Quatabacot  doth 
hereunto  set  his  hand  and  seal  dated  the  2d  day  of 
February  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1686,  which  is  the 
second  year  of  our  majesty's  reign  —  James  the  ad. 
Quatabacot  alias 

Nausup  his  mark 

Signed    sealed    and    de-  Memorandum 

livered    in    the    pre-         Liberty  of  hunting 
sence  of  us  fishing  and  fowling 

Thomas  Trowbridge,  |  on  agreement  is 

Joseph  Pardy.  /          reserved  to  the  said 

Nausump  ;  ivind  Sen.,          Indians  with  the 


JO  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

The  Father  his  mark  —         regulations  of  the 
Naushuter  [  his  mark  English. 

Keyhow  X  his  mark 
Alias  James  the  Brother. 

On  the  day  and  year  above  written  appeared  before 
me,  the  said  Quatabacot  alias  Nausup  and  the  above 
written  deed  being  distinctly  read  and  interpreted  to 
him  and  the  Indians  present,  he  said  he  well  under- 
stood the  substance  of  every  clause  of  it,  and  the  Indian 
witnesses  said  the  same,  and  then  he  the  said  Quata- 
bacot alias  Nausup  having  made  his  mark  and  affixed 
his  seal  did  freely  acknowledge  this  to  be  his  act  and 
deed  as  above  written  before  me, 

WILLIAM  JONES,  assistant  of  His 

Majesty's  Colony  of  Connecticut. 
Recorded,  per  Josiah  Rossiter,  Recorder. 
This  conveyance  completes  a  full  title  of  all  and  every  part 
of  the  ancient  town  of  Guilford  from  the  original  Indian  pro- 
prietors. 

The  town  seems  to  have  rested  satisfied  with  the  title  they 
acquired  to  their  lands  by  their  purchase  from  the  Indians,  and 
from  Mr.  Fenwick  of  Hammonassett,  during  the  time  of  their 
connexion  with  New  Haven  and  afterwards  until  the  act  of  the 
legislature  of  Connecticut  passed  October  session  1684  requiring 
all  the  towns  to  take  out  charters  from  the  government  &c.,  when 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  consider  the  matter  and  draw 
something  of  their  judgment  about  it  for  the  town's  considera- 
tion, Aug.  1 2,  1685,  and  at  a  subsequent  meeting  held  the  4th  of 
November,  1685,  it  was  voted  by  the  planters  that  they  did  de- 
sire twelve  men  as  patentees  in  behalf  of  all  the  planters  to  be 
nominated  in  the  town's  patent,  and  it  was  also  voted  in  the 
same  meeting  who  the  twelve  men  as  patentees  shall  be.  And 
Mr.  Andrew  Leete  and  Mr.  William  Leete,  Lieut.  William 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  77 

Seward,  Josiah  Rossiter,  Deacon  William  Johnson  and  Deacon 
William  Grave,  Mr.  Thomas  Meacock  and  Sergt.  Stephen 
Bradley  were  chosen  a  committee  according  to  the  best  of  their 
ability  to  search  the  town  records  and  do  all  things  they  shall 
judge  necessary  to  prepare  what  shall  be  needful  in  and  about 
the  town's  patent ;  that  is,  to  furnish  the  secretary  with  what  is 
needful  for  the  premises."  The  charter  was  accordingly  ob- 
tained as  appears  by  its  date  the  jth  of  December  1685,  and  at 
a  subsequent  town  meeting  held  the  Qth  of  February  1685, 
"  the  town  voted  that  it  should  be  kept  by  Andrew  Leete,  Wm. 
Seward  and  Josiah  Rossiter  for  the  town's  use."  It  is  as  fol- 
lows, viz  : 

Whereas,  as  the  General  Court  of  Connecticut  have 
formerly  granted  unto  the  proprietors,  inhabitants  of 
the  town  of  Guilford,  all  those  lands  both  meadow  and 
upland  within  these  abutments  viz.  at  the  sea  on  the 
south  and  on  Branford  bounds  on  the  west,  and  be- 
ginning at  the  sea  by  a  heap  of  stones  at  the  root  of  a 
marked  tree  near  Lawrence's  meadow  and  so  runs  to 
the  head  of  the  cove  to  a  heap  of  stones  there,  and 
thence  to  a  heap  of  stones  lying  on  the  west  side  of 
Crooper  hill  at  the  old  path  by  the  brook,  and  thence 
northerly  to  a  place  commonly  called  piping  tree  to  a 
heap  of  stone  lying  at  the  new  path,  and  from  thence 
to  a  heap  of  stones  lying  at  the  east  end  of  that  which 
was  commonly  called  Rosses  meadow,  and  from  thence 
to  a  heap  of  stones  lying  at  the  south  end  of  Pesucka- 
paug  pond,  and  so  runs  into  the  pond  a  considerable 
way  to  the  extent  of  their  north  bounds  which  is  from 
the  sea  ten  miles,  and  it  abuts  on  the  wilderness  north 
and  runs  from  the  last  station  in  the  pond  east  to  the 
most  westerly  branch  of  Hammonassett  river  and  on 
the  east  it  abuts  on  the  bounds  of  Kennilworth  and 


78  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

runs  from  the  last  station  as  that  stream  runs  southerly 
until  the  said  stream  or  river  falls  into  the  sea  on  the 
east  of  East  end  point,  the  said  land  having  been  by 
purchase  or  otherwise  lawfully  obtained  of  the  Indian 
natives  proprietors  ;  and  whereas  the  proprietors,  in- 
habitants of  Guilford  in  the  colony  of  Connecticut, 
have  made  application  to  the  governor  and  company 
of  said  colony  of  Connecticut  assembled  in  court  May 
2fth,  1685,  that  they  may  have  a  patent  for  confirma- 
tion of  the  aforesaid  land  to  them  so  purchased  and 
granted  to  them  as  aforesaid  and  which  they  have 
stood  seized  and  quietly  possessed  of  for  many  years 
last  past  without  interruption :  now  for  a  more  full  con- 
firmation of  the  aforesaid  tracts  of  land  as  it  is  butted 
and  bounded  aforesaid  unto  the  present  proprietors  of 
the  township  of  Guilford, — 

Know  ye  that  the  said  governor  and  company  as- 
sembled in  General  Court  according  to  the  commis- 
sion granted  to  them  by  his  majesty  in  his  charter 
have  given  granted  and  by  these  presents  do  give  grant 
ratify  and  confirm  unto  Andrew  Leete  Esquire,  Mr. 
Josiah  Rossiter,  Lieut.  William  Seward,  Deacon  Wil- 
liam Johnson,  Deacon  John  Graves,  Mr.  John  Col- 
lins, Mr.  John  Stone,  Mr.  Stephen  Bishop,  Sergt. 
Daniel  Hubbard,  Mr.  Abraham  Cruttenden,  Sergt. 
John  Chittenden  and  Mr.  John  Meigs  and  the  rest 
of  the  said  present  proprietors  of  the  township  of 
Guilford,  their  heirs,  successors  and  assigns  forever, 
the  aforesaid  tract  and  parcel  of  land  as  it  is  butted 
and  bounded,  together  with  all  the  wood  uplands  and 
meadows,  pastures,  ponds,  waters,  rivers,  islands,  fish- 
ings, huntings,  fowlings,  mines,  minerals,  quarries  and 
precious  stones,  upon  or  within  the  said  tract  of  land 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  79 

and  all  other  profits  and  commodities  thereunto  be- 
longing or  in  any  ways  appertaining,  and  do  also  grant 
unto  the  aforesaid  Andrew  Leete  Esquire,  Mr.  Josiah 
Rossiter,  Lieut.  William  Seward,  Deacon  William 
Johnson,  Deacon  John  Graves,  Mr.  John  Collins, 
Mr.  John  Stone,  Mr.  Stephen  Bishop,  Sergt.  Daniel 
Hubbard,  Mr.  Abraham  Cruttenden,  Mr.  John  Chit- 
tenden  and  Mr.  John  Meigs  and  the  rest  of  the  pro- 
prietors inhabitants  of  Guilford,  their  heirs,  successors 
and  assigns  forever,  that  the  aforesaid  tract  of  land 
shall  be  forever  hereafter  deemed  reputed  and  be  an 
entire  township  of  itself,  to  have  and  to  hold  the  said 
tract  of  land  and  premises  with  all  and  singular  their 
appurtenances,  together  with  the  privileges  and  immu- 
nities franchises  herein  given  and  granted  unto  the 
said  Andrew  Leete  Esquire,  Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter, 
Lieut.  William  Seward,  Deacon  William  Johnson, 
Deacon  John  Graves,  Mr.  John  Ccllins,  Mr.  John 
Stone,  Mr.  Stephen  Bishop,  Sergt.  Daniel  Hubbard, 
Mr.  Abraham  Cruttenden,  Sergt.  John  Chittenden 
and  Mr.  John  Meigs,  and  other  the  present  proprietors, 
inhabitants  of  Guilford  their  heirs,  successors  and  as- 
signs forever,  and  to  the  only  proper  use  and  behoof 
of  the  said  Andrew  Leete  Esquire,  Mr.  Josiah  Rossi- 
ter, Lieut.  William  Seward,  Deacon  William  Johnson, 
Deacon  John  Graves,  Mr.  John  Collins,  Mr.  John 
Stone,  Mr.  Stephen  Bishop,  Sergt.  Daniel  Hubbard, 
Mr.  Abraham  Cruttenden,  Sergt.  John  Chittenden 
and  Mr.  John  Meigs  and  the  other  proprietors  in- 
habitants of  Guilford  their  heirs,  &  successors  forever 
according  the  tenor  of  East  Greenwich  in  Kent  in 
free  and  common  soccage  and  not  in  capite  nor  by 
knight  service,  they  to  make  improvement  of  the  same 


8O  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

as  they  are  capable  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country,  yielding  rendering  and  paying  therefor  to  our 
sovereign  Lord  the  King  his  heirs  and  successors 
his  dues  according  to  the  charter  of  the  colony  to  be 
hereunto  affixed  this  yth  of  Dec.  one  thousand  six 
hundred  and  eighty-five  in  the  first  year  of  the  reign 
of  our  sovereign  Lord  James  the  second,  of  England, 
Scotland,  France  and  Ireland,  king,  defender  of  the 
faith.  ROBT.  TREAT,  Gov. 

Entered  in  the  public  records  of  the  colony  of  Con- 
necticut Lib.  D,  fol.  144  and  145,  Dec.  8th,  1685, 
per  John  Allyn  secretary. 

By  order  of  the  General  Court  of  Connecticut 
signed  JOHN   ALLYN,  Secretary. 

and  recorded  on  the  three  last  pages  of  vol.  C,  Guil- 
ford  Records. 

Schools  were  established  probably  as  early  as  the  establishment 
of  the  church,  1643.  They  were  formerly  supported  like  the 
clergyman  by  a  tax.  At  a  town  meeting  holden  the  yth  of 
October,  1646,  a  committee  was  appointed  of  three  men  to 
collect  the  contributions  for  the  salai  ies  of  Mr.  Whitfield  and 
Mr.  Higginson,  and  "  it  was  ordered  that  the  additional  sum 
towards  Mr.  Higginson's  inaintenance  with  respect  to  the  school 
shall  be  paid  by  treasurer  yearly  out  of  the  best  of  the  rates  in 
due  season  according  to  our  agreements." 

And  it  was  further  ordered  "  that  whoever  shall  put  any  child 
to  school  to  Mr.  Higginson  shall  not  put  for  less  than  a  quarter's 
time  at  once,  and  so  all  shall  be  reckoned  with  quarterly  though 
they  have  neglected  to  send  them  all  the  time,  after  the  rate  of 
4-s  per  quarter  by  the  treasurer."  After  the  removal  of  Mr. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  8 1 

Higginson  the  townsmen  procured  from  year  to  year  teachers 
at  the  rate  of  20  or  ,£30  per  annum.1  A  Mr.  Joseph  Fener  in 
1671  and  a  Mr,  Matthew  Belamy  in  1671,  and  Mr.  Jonathan 
Pitman  in  1675  and  76.  In  1682  Mr.  John  Collins  for  some 
years.  In  1690  it  was  voted  in  town-meeting  to  give  Mr. 
Thomas  Higginson  of  Salem  £30  per  year,  two-thirds  from  the 
treasury  and  one-third  from  the  scholars,  which  was  continued 
for  some  years.  In  1694  Mr  Elliott  was  employed  till  1700, 
when  Mr.  Collins  was  again  appointed.  In  1701  Capt.  Andrew 
Ward  was  appointed.  Until  this  time  there  was  but  one  school 
in  the  town,  viz. :  at  the  centre  of  the  present  First  Society. 
In  1702  "the  east  farmers  from  East  river  eastwards  were 
granted  liberty  to  provide  a  suitable  person  to  keep  school  there, 
and  that  he  be  paid  for  the  time  he  kept  school  not  exceeding 
three  months  in  the  year."  The  next  year  (1703)  the  east 
farmers  became  a  society  called  East  Guilford.  And  as  the 
other  societies  were  set  off  they  became  also  school  districts,  and 
received  their  own  shares  of  the  school  money.  A  school  house 
was  built  as  early  as  1645,  repaired  1671  and  a  new  one  built 
in  its  stead  in  1677.  Mr.  Joseph  Dudley  was  chosen  school- 
master in  1705,  Mr.  James  Elliott  in  1706,  Doct.  William 
Johnson  about  1720  for  a  year  or  two,  and  the  school  was  after- 
wards kept  in  the  family  of  Samuel  Johnson  for  seventy  or  eighty 
years.  The  school  records  were  at  first  kept  with  the  town 


1  Rev.  Jeremiah  Peck  (born  in  London,  Eng.,  1623,  died  in  Waterbury,  1699), 
who  married  Joanna,  or  Hannah,  daughter  of  Robert  Kitchell,  Nov.  12,  1656, 
taught  school  in  Guilford  from  1656  to  1660.  He  removed  in  the  latter  year  to 
New  Haven,  where  he  also  acted  as  school-master  until  Sept.  25,  1661,  when  he 
made  an  agreement  to  be  the  minister  at  Saybrook,  which  engagement  he  terminated 
Jan.  30,  1665-6.  "  Returning  to  Guilford,  he  with  his  father-in-law,  joined  Pierson 
and  the  Branford  and  Guilford  people  who  settled  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  in 
1666-7,  where  he  probably  preached  until  the  arrival  of  Pierson,  I  October,  1667." 
He  afterwards  preached  in  Elizabethtown,  Jamaica  (L.  I.),  Greenwich  (Conn.),  and 
Waterbury. —  &'£/y'$  Harvard  Graduates,  I,  569,  570. 

11 


82  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

records,  but  of  late  years  they  have  been  kept  by  themselves. 
There  was  but  one  school  in  the  First  Society  down  to  (about) 
1794,  when  the  present  system  of  school  districts  was  adopted 
in  Connecticut.  Formerly,  about  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century  four  schools  were  taught  in  the  borough  for  many  years 
in  one  building  which  stood  upon  the  Green.  The  removal  of 
this  building  and  the  town  house  from  the  Green  has  already 
been  noticed.  They  were  located  afterwards  on  the  turnpike  a 
few  rods  north  of  the  First  Congregational  church. 

In  Nov.,  1824,  the  Lancasterian  method  was  adopted  in  the 
centre  district  and  all  the  children  were  placed  in  one  school 
(taught  in  the  town  house)  excepting  those  in  the  private  schools 
and  in  the  academy.  The  latter  was  opened  in  1825  and  was 
under  the  charge  of  several  teachers,  Mr.  (now  Doctor)  Alvan 
Talcott,  and  Samuel  Robinson  having  charge  for  considerable 
periods. 

In  1829  the  Lancasterian  system  was  given  up  and  the  children 
in  the  centre  districts  were  divided  into  four  classes.  The  first 
class,  corresponding  to  the  academy,  was  taught  from  1831  to 
1834  by  R.  D.  Smith,  afterwards  by  Luman  Whedon,  and 
thence  to  1837  by  Julius  N.  Dowd.  In  1837  the  district  was 
divided  into  four  parts  and  school  houses  built  in  the  northeast 
and  southwest  districts,  the  northwest  district  occupying  a  part 
of  the  academy,  the  upper  part  of  which  building  was  occupied 
in  1838  by  Mr.  Dudley  as  a  high  school.  The  districts  began 
to  be  set  off  from  the  centre  district  about  the  commencement 
of  the  present  century,  at  which  time  the  Clapboard  Hill  district 
was  first  set  off. 

[In  1876  the  town  consisted  of  eleven  school  districts, 
among  which  was  included  the  union  school  district,  a  consolida- 
tion of  five  separate  districts.  The  number  of  children  between 
the  ages  of  four  and  sixteen  in  the  different  districts,  was  re- 
ported in  the  same  year  as  follows  : 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  83 

Union  school  district 312 

North  Guilford:   South,  40 

"           "         Centre,  31 

"           "         Bluff,    13 

"           "         North, 23 

Sachem's  Head, 13 

Leete's  Island, 47 

Moose  Hill, 26 

Nut  Plains,  Upper,  15 

"       "       Lower, 17 

Clapboard  Hill, 16 

553] 

[THE  GUILFORD  INSTITUTE.  Mrs.  Sarah  Griffing,  widow 
of  Hon.  Nathaniel  Griffing,  deeded  August  21,  1854,  to  E. 
Edwin  Hall,  Henry  W.  Chittenden,  Simeon  B.  Chittenden, 
Alvan  Talcott,  Abraham  C.  Baldwin,  Ralph  D.  Smith  and 
Sherman  Graves  (who  had  been  created  a  body  politic  under 
the  name  and  style  of  The  Trustees  of  the  Guilford  Institute),  a 
piece  of  land  situated  in  Guilford,  as  also  the  sum  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  "for  the  purpose  of  establishing  and  main- 
taining a  school  in  said  Guilford  of  a  higher  order  than  the  dis- 
trict or  common  school."  She  states,  in  the  deed,  "  whereas 
my  wish  is  that  the  said  school  should  in  no  sense  be  regarded 
as  a  sectarian  institution  but  be  open  alike  to  all  who  wish  to 
enjoy  its  advantages,  and  on  the  same  terms,  yet  as  it  must 
necessarily  be  under  some  government  and  control,  and  as  more 
harmony  will  be  likely  to  prevail  if  all  the  directors  or  trustees 
are  of  the  same  religious  views,  my  wish  is  that  they  should 
be  of  the  denomination  to  which  I  belong,  to  wit,  of  the 
Congregational  order  and  of  that  class  designated  and  known  at 
the  present  day  as  Orthodox  or  Trinitarian,  of  which  the  pastor 
of  the  First  church  in  Guilford  shall  always  be  one,  should  he 


84  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

hold  such  religious  views  or  belief."  She  also  expresses  the 
wish  that  "  the  Bible  should  always  be  used  in  said  school  as 
the  foundation  of  all  education  for  usefulness  or  happiness." 

To  this  donation  was  added  another  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  by 
Hon.  Simeon  B.  Chittenden,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  October  I2th, 
1855. 

The  corner  stone  of  the  building  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
institute  was  laid  September  13,  1854,  on  which  occasion  an 
address  was  delivered  by  Rev.  T.  D.  P.  Stone  of  the  Normal 
school  at  Norwich,  Conn.  The  building  being  completed,  the 
first  term  of  the  institute  was  opened  September  3,  1855,  with 
suitable  public  exercises,  and  addresses  by  Rev.  E.  Edwin  Hall, 
S.  B.  Chittenden,  and  others. 

In  September  1872,  by  an  arrangement  with  the  Union 
school  district  of  Guilford,  its  scholars  were  admitted  to  the 
privileges  of  the  institute  free.  In  1875  the  institute  failing  to 
receive  any  interest  on  certain  bonds  constituting  their  invest- 
ments, the  trustees  gave  permission  to  the  union  district  to 
occupy  the  building  for  a  high  school,  which  arrangement  con- 
tinues to  the  present  time. 

The  following  persons  have  acted  as  trustees  of  the  institute  : 

Appointed.  Termination. 

Rev.  E.  Edwin  Hall,    1854,  1855. 

1866,  1869. 

Henry  W.  Chittenden, ^54,   l%55' 

"          1857,   ••• 1867. 

Simeon  B.  Chittenden, '854. 

Alvan  Talcott,  1854. 

Rev.  Abraham  C.  Baldwin,...  1854,   l%57- 

Ralph  D.  Smith, J8s4,  ^74. 

Sherman  Graves, '854,     '875. 

Edward  L.  Leete, l^55- 

Rev.  Henry  Wicks,  1856,    1858. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  85 

Appointed.  Termination. 

Rev.  William  S.  Smith, 1859,   l865- 

Eli  Parmalee, 1867. 

Rev.  Cornelius  L.  Kitchel,  ...   1870,     '873. 

Rev.  Geo.  W.  Banks,  1874. 

Rev.  T.  L.  Day,  1875,  1877. 

Henry  D.  Cone, l%75> 

The  following  persons  have  been  principals  of  the  institute, 
the  dates  of  their  first  appointment  are  also  given  : 

EliT.  Mack, 1855. 

Augustine  Hart, 1858. 

J.  Wilson  Ward, 1860. 

Henry  S.  Barnum, 1862. 

Joseph  L.  Daniels, *863. 

Winthrop  D.  Sheldon, 1864. 

W.  H.  Ayres,  1865. 

Edwin  H.  Wilson, 1865. 

James  P.  Hoyt,  1867. 

Frederic  S.   Thompson,  1869. 

Charles  E.  Gordon, 1871. 

John  P.  Slocum, 1871. 

Jairus  P.  Moore,  l%75- 

In  1737  a  library  was  formed  in  the  towns  of  Guilford,  Say- 
brook,  Killingworth  and  Lyme.1    The  books  were  principally  on 


[*  To  this  library  the  writer  of  HallecK's  Life  refers  in  the  following  account  of  his 
love  of  reading  : 

"  Books  in  the  days  of  Halleck's  boyhood  were  less  common  in  country  towns 
than  at  present,  and  so,  after  reading  everything  contained  in  the  family  library, 
Fitz  Greene  had  recourse  to  a  public  collection,  of  which  he  once  assured  me  that  he 
had  read  every  book,  as  his  father  had  done  before  him.  The  Guilford  library  con- 
tained, among  its  four  hundred  volumes,  the  works  of  many  of  the  standard  English 
poets  and  novelists,  essayists  and  historians,  with  other  volumes  published  prior  to 
1800.  The  old  dog-eared  and  well-thumbed  copies  of  Goldsmith  and  Gibbon, 
Josephus  and  Joseph  Andrews,  Pope  and  Plutarch,  of  Shakespeare  and  Smollet, 
with  numerous  less  used  and  heavy  volumes  of  still  heavier  sermons,  by  old  and 
approved  British  and  New  England  divines,  are  still  to  be  seen  over  a  grocer's  shop 


86  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

divinity,  some  of  them  being  large  and  valuable.  In  May  1787, 
(after  many  had  probably  been  lost  or  worn  out)  these  consisted  of 
sixty  folios,  twenty-four  quartos,  and  three  hundred  and  seven  of 
other  sizes,  which  were  appraised  at  £167.  7*.  Many  of  the 
proprietors  of  this  library  lived  in  Guilford.  Sometime  before 
1797,  this  company  was  dissolved  and  a  new  company  formed 
in  Guilford  First  Society,  unto  whose  library  some  of  the  books 
of  the  former  library  were  introduced.  The  young  people 
afterwards  associated  and  purchased  another  library.  These 
libraries  were  united  about  1820  and  called  the  Union  library, 
which  contained  in  1838  about  six  hundred  volumes. 

A  public  library  was  formed  in  North  Guilford  about  1760. 
In  1794,  the  house  in  which  it  was  kept  was  burned  and  most 
of  the  books  were  destroyed.  New  books  were  purchased 
until  it  contained  185  volumes.  This  was  dissolved,  and  a  new 
one  formed  which  contained  in  1838  less  than  100  volumes. 

As  the  great  object  of  the  first  settlers  was  the  enjoyment  of 
the  privileges  of  the  gospel  in  their  own  way,  they  very  early 
erected  a  house  for  public  worship,  although  it  is  not  certainly 
known  in  what  year.  It  was  probably  finished  in  1643,  at  tne 
time  the  church  was  gathered  here.  In  1645,  "  it  was  ordered 
that  no  more  trees  should  be  cut  down  before  the  meeting 
house."  This  house  was  of  stone  and  stood  on  the  northwest 
part  of  the  Green.  In  it  a  gallery  was  built  across  the  west 
end  in  1668,  and  a  porch  attached  to  it  in  1672.  At  a  town- 
meeting  held  in  January  1679-80,  it  was  agreed  to  build  in  ad- 
dition to  a  porch  on  the  south  side,  a  gallery  on  all  sides  of  the 
house,  two  seats  in  width.  In  1681,  it  was  voted  to  enlarge 
the  house  extensively,  the  manner  is  not  recorded.  Thus  en- 


at  Guilford,  now  quite  out  of  date,  forgotten,  and  fallen  into  disuse  and  covered  with 
dust  to  such  an  extent,  that  plain,  gilt,  marble,  or  red-edged  volumes,  present  one 
uniform  dull,  dingy  aspect."  Wilson" i  Hailed,  53,  54.] 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  87 

larged  it  continued  until  June  1712.  A  large  wooden  church 
was  then  erected,  sixty-eight  feet  long  and  forty-six  wide  three 
stories  high,  with  double  galleries  ;  and  a  steeple  (one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  high)  was  built  at  the  west  end  and  a  bell  fur- 
nished the  same  in  1726.  At  the  same  time  a  clock  was  made 
for  it  and  given  to  the  society  by  Ebenezer  Parmelee,  an  in- 
genious mechanic.  This  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  meeting 
house  in  Connecticut  furnished  with  a  steeple,  bell  and  clock. 
This  building  was  taken  down  in  1830  ;  the  present  one  was 
raised  in  June  1829,  and  dedicated  May  19,  1830.  It  is  large, 
beautiful  and  convenient,  being  built  of  wood,  is  eighty  feet  in 
length  by  sixty  in  width,  with  a  projection  of  six  feet,  and  cost 


[The  first  public  meeting  in  reference  to  building  a  new 
meeting  house  was  held  Feb.  18,  1828.  Previous  to  this  a 
subscription  paper  had  been  circulated,  and  something  over 
$5,000  had  been  raised  in  that  way.  It  had  been  agreed  that 
those,  who  should  subscribe,  might  bid  off  pews,  in  the  house 
when  built,  to  the  amount  of  their  subscription,  and  that  all 
other  members  of  the  society  should  have  the  same  privilege. 
Objection  was  made  by  some  to  the  owning  of  the  pews  by  in- 
dividuals, and  the  preference  was  for  the  erection  of  the  house 
by  a  tax  and  the  seating  of  the  occupants  by  age  as  had  been 
the  custom  in  the  old  house.  It  seemed  very  difficult  to  raise 
the  sum  needed  for  the  building,  and  in  this  position  of  affairs 
about  thirty  members  of  the  society  became  responsible  for  the 
money  necessary  to  complete  it,  taking  the  risk  of  being  reim- 
bursed by  the  sale  of  the  pews.  At  a  meeting,  held  Nov.  28, 
1828,  it  was  voted  to  proceed  to  the  building  of  the  house.  The 
site  selected  was  the  Lot  Benton  place,  at  the  north  end  of  the 
Green,  which  was  purchased  at  the  price  of  $925.  A  contract 
was  made  with  Ira  Atwaterand  Wilson  Booth  of  New  Haven 
to  build  a  house  eighty  by  sixty  feet  for  the  sum  of  $6,500. 


80  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

The  corner  stone  was  laid  June  5,  1829,  and  a  suitable  address 
was  delivered  by  Rev.  Aaron  Dutton.  The  raising  was  com- 
menced June  10,  1829,  and  completed  without  accident  June 
1 8,  the  men  from  the  different  districts  assisting  in  succession. 

The  meeting  house  was  dedicated  May  19,  1830,  and  the 
pews  were  offered  for  sale  on  the  next  day.  They  sold  for 
more  than  enough  to  pay  all  the  bills,  and  a  great  degree  of 
harmony  and  good  feeling  prevailed. 

The  meeting  house  remained  substantially  unchanged  until 
1 86 1,  when  extensive  alterations  were  made,  and  the  whole 
structure  was  improved  and  modernized.  The  pulpit  and  gal- 
leries were  lowered,  the  pews  made  more  comfortable,  the  walls 
frescoed,  and  the  lecture  room  was  enlarged.  In  1868,  a  superb 
organ  was  generously  presented  to  the  society  by  Mrs.  Mary  G. 
Chittenden. 

After  the  erection  of  the  new  house  the  pews  were  held  as 
private  property  by  the  original  purchasers  and  their  heirs  and 
assigns,  and  the  expenses  of  public  worship,  as  had  always  before 
been  the  custom,  were  provided  for  by  a  tax  on  the  list,  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  expenses  of  the  town.  This  tax  in  1828, 
was  five  cents  on  the  dollar  of  the  assessment  list  (which  was 
three  per  cent  of  the  property  valuation)  ;  in  1849,  t^ie  ^ast  vear 
in  which  a  tax  was  laid,  it  was  twelve  cents  on  the  dollar.  In 
1850,  the  members  of  the  society  owning  pews  gave  them  to  the 
society  by  a  joint  deed,  and  the  pews,  that  were  owned  by  mem- 
bers of  other  societies  or  by  persons  who  had  moved  away,  were 
purchased  at  about  one-half  of  their  original  cost.  After  which 
the  society  proceeded  to  make  provision  for  the  support  of  pub- 
lic worship  by  the  annual  renting  of  the  pews,  which  is  the 
method  adopted  at  the  present  time.  A.  T.] 

The  people  doubtless  observed  public  worship  from  the  be- 
ginning, as  they  sustained  a  very  pious  character,  and  Mr.  Whit- 
field,  one  of  their  number,  had  long  been  in  the  ministry,  having 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  09 

indeed  been  the  pastor  of  some  of  them  in  England,  but  for 
some  cause  now  unknown  a  church  was  not  regularly  formed 
until  1643.  On  the  igth  day  of  the  third  month  (i.e.  June 
29th,  of  our  present  reckoning)  accordingto  the  method  practiced 
in  New  Haven,  seven  persons  were  selected  called  pillars,  viz  : 
Henry  Whitfield,  John  Higginson,  Samuel  Disborow,  William 
Leete,  Jacob  Sheafe,  John  Mepham  and  John  Hoadley,  that 
to  these  others  might  be  united.  To  whom  accordingly  the  other 
professors,  embracing  more  than  half  the  inhabitants,  were 
joined  at  that  time.  At  this  time  Mr.  Whitfield  was  the  pastor 
and,  as  he  had  been  especially  ordained  in  England  and  ministe- 
rially connected  with  most  of  them  in  that  country  and  with  all 
of  them  here,  he  was  not  formally  installed.  Among  the  rea- 
sons, that  might  have  partly  caused  the  delay,  may  have  been  the 
fact  that  until  this  period  there  does  not  seem  to  have  been  a 
permanent  settlement  at  this  place,  and  that  prior  also  to  this 
period  there  seems  to  have  been  no  regular  teacher  associated 
with  the  clergyman,  which  they  seem  to  have  considered  an 
almost  indispensable  requisite.  Mr.  John  Higginson,  son  of 
Mr.  Higginson  first  minister  of  Salem,  Massachusetts,  and  son- 
in-law  of  Mr.  Whitfield,  was  duly  called  and  instituted  into 
that  office.  He  seems  to  have  been  for  several  years  a  preacher, 
as  he  had  been  employed  in  that  duty  at  Hartford  and  at  Say- 
brook.  The  articles  of  faith  or  covenant  originally  adopted 
were  used  in  the  church  until  1837,  when  they  were  amended 
in  only  a  few  particulars,  although  some  other  prior  unimportant 
alterations  were  perhaps  made  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dutton.  A 
public  relation  of  experiences  was  required  in  order  to  admission 
into  the  church  until  1762,  when  a  vote  was  passed  by  the 
church  that  they  would  not  insist  upon  such  a  relation  from 
those  who  should  be  indisposed  to  give  it.  Since  then  such 
relations  have  been  given  generally  in  a  private  manner. 

Mr.  Whitfield  continued  here  as  pastor  until  the  month  of 
12 


90  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

October,  1651,  when  he  took  leave  of  his  church  and  congre- 
gation, who  greatly  loved  him  and  followed  him  to  the  water- 
side with  many  tears,  and  shipped  for  his  native  country  where 
he  appears  to  have  finished  his  days  in  the  ministry  in  the  city 
of  Winchester. 

The  character  given  of  him  by  Cotton  Mather  in  his  Mag- 
nolia, and  by  Doctor  Trumbull  in  his  History  of  Connecticut,  is 
very  excellent.  In  point  of  character  and  talents  he  ranked 
among  the  first  ministers  in  New  England.  His  father,  who 
was  an  eminent  lawyer,  designed  him  for  the  bar  and  gave  him 
a  liberal  education  for  it  at  the  university  and  afterward  at  the 
inns  of  court,  but,  being  early  called  by  grace,  he  was  de- 
sirous of  becoming  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  and  was  encour- 
aged to  this  intent  by  such  eminent  men  as  Doctor  Stanton, 
Maj.  Byfield  and  others.  Entering  into  orders  he  was  first 
stationed  at  Ockley  in  Surrey  near  London,  where  his  labors 
were  blessed  to  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  town  and 
vicinity.1  Finding  his  occasional  labors  abroad  useful,  and  en- 
joying one  of  the  best  church-livings  and  having  a  large  estate 
of  his  own,  he  employed  an  able  and  pious  minister  to  preach 
to  his  own  people  and  went  into  destitute  places  among  the  poor 
himself  preaching  the  glad  tidings  of  mercy.  Though  a  con 
formist  he  was  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  Mr.  Cotton, 
Mr.  Hooker,  Mr.  Goodwin,  and  others,  men  of  eminent  piety 
among  the  non-conformists  who  afterwards  became  lights  in  the 
American  church,  and  often  entertained  them  in  the  kindest 
manner  at  his  house.  At  length  having  a  conference  with  Mr. 


[x  During  his  connection  with  Ockley  he  wrote  a  book,  the  title  of  the  second 
edition  of  which  was  as  follows  : 

Some  Helpes  to  Stirre  up  to  Christian  Duties  etc.,  by  Henry  Whitfield,  B.  D. 
Preacher  of  God's  Word  at  Ockley  in  Surrey.  The  Second  Edition.  Corrected  and 
enlarged.  London,  printed  for  John  Bartlett,  and  are  to  be  sold  at  his  shop  at  the 
Giltcup  in  Cheapside,  1634,  pp.  228.] 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  9! 

Cotton  and  some  of  the  other  divines  about  church  discipline, 
he  became  a  non-conformist  himself,  and,  unable  to  pursue  his 
ministry  peaceably  in  England,  he  now  procured  a  godly  succes- 
sor and  resigned  his  charge,  sold  his  estate  and  came  over,  with 
many  pious  persons  attached  to  his  ministry,  to  this  country. 
During  his  continuance  at  Guilford  a  large  proportion  of  his  pro- 
perty was  expended  in  helping  his  people  in  their  settlement,  while 
he  supported  a  numerous  and  expensive  family.  He  had  ten 
children,  two  of  whom  remained  at  Guilford  a  year  or  two  after 
him,  their  names  were  Nathaniel  and  John  Whitfield.  One  mar- 
ried Mr.  Higginson,  and  another  Mr.  Fitch  the  minister  at 
Saybrook  and  afterwards  at  Norwich.  Most  of  the  children, 
however,  were  dependent  upon  him  for  support.  The  prospect 
therefore  was  that  he  must  suffer  great  embarrassment  if  he  re- 
mained at  Guilford,  and  he  had  many  and  pressing  invitations  to 
return  to  England  where  the  change  of  times  under  the  protec- 
torate opened  the  way  for  him  to  resume  and  prosecute  the 
ministry  without  molestation.  His  family  appear  for  some 
reason  or  other  to  have  remained  here  for  some  years  after- 
wards. His  son  Nathaniel  Whitfield,  removed  to  New  Haven, 
and  after  remaining  for  some  years,  removed  thence  to  London, 
England,  where  he  seems  to  have  been  a  wealthy  merchant  and 
to  have  been  very  useful  to  the  settlers.  Mr.  Whitfield's  wife 
appears  to  have  been  here  as  late  as  1659,  anc^  at  l^at  time  she 
is  spoken  of  on  the  records  as  being  here  and  managing  the  estate. 
Mr.  Whitfield  was  a  distinguished  preacher,  delivering  his  dis- 
courses with  a  peculiar  beauty,  dignity  and  solemnity.  He  pub- 
lished a  work  entitled,  The  Light  Appearing  More  andMore^  giving 
an  account  of  the  progress  of  the  gospel  among  the  Indians,  etc. 
In  consequence  of  what  he  had  expended  in  the  purchase  of  the 
town  and  the  gift  of  Mr.  Fenwick,  numerous  and  valuable  tracts 
of  land  were  allowed  him  in  various  parts  of  the  town,  which 
upon  his  return  to  England  he  offered  to  sell  to  his  people  upon 


92  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

low  terms.  They,  however,  did  not  purchase  them  partly  on 
account  of  their  poverty,  and  partly  from  an  expectation  which 
prevailed  for  a  time  that  they  should  eventually  follow  him. 
He  therefore  sold  them  to  Major  Robert  Thompson  of  London, 
in  whose  family  they  remained,  to  the  great  detriment  of  the 
town,  until  Oct.  22d,  1772,  when  Andrew  Oliver  Esq.,  of 
Boston,  as  attorney  for  Thompson's  heirs,  sold  them  all  to 
Mr.  Wyllys  Elliott  of  Guilford  for  .£3000  of  the  current  money 
of  Massachusetts.  They  continued  in  his  family  for  several 
years.  The  stone  house  was  purchased  in  1776,  by  Jasper 
Griffing,  and  finally  passed  into  the  possession  of  his  son  Judge 
Nathaniel  Griffing,  and  the  Sawpitts  farm  was  purchased  in 
1837,  of  Samuel  and  Reuben  Elliott  by  Walter  Johnson  Esq. 
Mr.  Higginson  became  sole  pastor  of  the  church  after  the 
departure  of  Mr.  Whitfield,  and  was  duly  instituted  into  those 
duties,  Sept.  1653.  He  was  the  son  of  Mr.  Francis  Higginson, 
for  some  time  minister  of  Leicester,  England,  and  afterwards 
first  minister  of  Salem,  Mass.  His  father  dying  soon  after  his 
settlement  in  Salem,  Mr.  John  Higginson  was  privately  edu- 
cated by  benevolent  friends,  among  whom  was  Mr.  Hooker  of 
Hartford.  He  lived  some  time  in  the  latter  place,  employed 
in  school  keeping,  and  probably  prosecuting  his  theological 
studies.  In  the  year  1636,  he  was  chaplain  at  Saybrook  fort 
during  the  Pequot  war,  where  he  labored  about  four  years, 
where,  in  the  language  of  another,  "  his  ministrations  were  suita- 
ble, seasonable  and  profitable  according  to  the  present  dispensa- 
tion of  Providence."  He  removed  to  Guilford  about  1641 
where  he  remained  until  1659,  when  he  shipped  for  England 
intending  to  visit  his  father-in-law,  but  the  vessel  being  forced 
into  Salem  by  contrary  winds,  the  people  wishing  then  to  settle 
a  pastor,  he  was  persuaded  to  accept  a  call  from  the  church 
where  his  father  had  been  settled  about  thirty  years  previous. 
He  was  installed  Aug.  29,  1660,  and  became  eminent  by  his 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  93 

preaching  and  his  exemplary  life.  He  wrote  "  An  Attestation 
to  the  Church  History  of  New  England  by  Cotton  Mather,"  and 
published  also  a  volume  of  sermons  dedicated  to  the  people  of 
Saybrook,  Guilford  and  Salem."1  He  died  Dec.  9,  1708,  in 
the  93d  year  of  his  age,  having  been  in  the  ministry  seventy- 
two  years.  His  likeness  is  preserved  in  the  Atheneum  at 
Salem  and  his  descendants  in  that  town  are  numerous  and  re- 
spectable, although  the  name  seems  to  have  become  extinct 
among  them.  The  Hon.  Stephen  Higginson,  his  sole  surviv- 
ing male  descendant  died  at  Boston  in  the  autumn  of  1828,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
revolutionary  congress  of  1778,  where  he  distinguished  himself 
by  his  talents  and  acquired  the  confidence  of  the  most  distin- 
guished men  in  this  country. 

After  the  departure  of  Mr.  Higginson,  the  town  of  Guilford 
was  in  a  confused  state  for  several  years.  Mr.  John  Cotton 
(H.  C.,  1657)  who  married  the  daughter  of  Doct.  Bryan  Ros- 
siter  was  here  a  part  of  the  time,  and  also  Mr.  John  Bowers 
(H.  C.,  1649)  from  New  Haven,  but  the  latter  seems  not  to 
have  been  generallv  liked  by  the  people,  and  was  also  much 
opposed  by  Doct.  Rossiter.  Mr.  Cotton  soon  removed  and 
afterwards  settled  at  Plymouth,  Massachusetts  ; 2  and  Mr. 


['Our  Saviour's  Dying  Legacy  of  Peace  to  his  Disciples  in  a  troublesome  World, 
from  John  xiv,  27.  My  Peace  I  give  unto  you,  etc.  Also  a  discourse  on  the  Two 
Witnesses,  etc  ;  unto  which  is  added  some  help  to  self-examination  (which  I  drew 
up  for  myself  in  the  year  1652).  By  John  Higginson,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Salem, 
etc.  Boston,  printed  by  Samuel  Green  for  John  Usher  near  the  Town  House,  1686. 
pp.  205.] 

[2Rev.  John  Cotton,  born  March  22,  1639-40  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  married  at 
Wethersfield,  Conn.,  Nov.  7,  1660,  Joanna  Rossiter,  by  whom  he  had  eleven 
children.  He  left  Connecticut  for  Boston  in  1663,  where  he  was  excommunicated 
for  immoral  conduct,  but  was  restored  the  next  month.  Removed  to  Plymouth, 
Mass.,  1667,  remaining  there  until  his  dismissal  Oct.  5,  1697.  After  this  he  was 
called  to  Charlestown,  S.  C.,  where  he  arrived  December  7,  1698,  and  labored  until 
he  died  September  17  or  18,  1699,  of  the  yellow  fever.  —  Sibley's  Harvard  Gradu- 
atet,  i,  496-508.] 


94  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Bowers  returned  to  New  Haven,  afterwards  settling  at  Derby, 
where  he  remained  till  his  death,  June  14,  1687.  In  the  fall 
of  the  year  1663,  the  town  received  a  letter  from  Dr.  Increase 
Mather,  who  gave  them  much  encouragement  of  coming  to 
settle  here,  but  declined  the  call  gi^en  him  during  the  next 
spring. 

In  1664,  however,  Mr.  Joseph  Eliot,  a  native  of  Roxbury, 
Mass.,  and  graduate  of  Harvard  college  (1658),  was  called  and 
happily  settled.  He  was  the  second  son,  born  Dec.  20,  1638, 
of  the  Rev.  John  Eliot,  pastor  of  Roxbury,  called  frequently 
the  apostle  to  the  Indians,  and  was  endowed  by  the  God  of 
nature  and  of  grace  with  a  liberal  portion  of  the  excellencies  of 
his  father.  Before  he  came  to  this  place  he  preached  some- 
time in  Northampton,  Mass.,  where  he  was  unanimously 
invited  to  settle,  the  health  of  Mr.  Mather,  minister  of  that 
town  having  declined.  The  settlement,  however,  did  not  take 
place,  probably  on  account  of  Mr.  Mather's  recovery.  As  a 
preacher,  Mr.  Joseph  Eliot  is  said  to  have  been  inferior  to  none 
in  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  and  he  was  a  burning  and  shining 
light  in  this  community.  His  religious  character  is  well  ex- 
emplified in  a  pious  and  excellent  letter  written  by  him  to  a 
brother  in  Roxbury,  "  showing  how  we  must  live  in  this  world, 
so  as  to  live  in  heaven,"  which  having  been  published  in  this 
century  served  to  bring  his  character  and  work  afresh  to  remem- 
brance. He  died  May  24,  1694. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Ruggles,  who  was  born  (March  10,  1671), 
at  the  same  place  and  educated  at  the  same  college  (H.  C., 
1690)  with  Mr.  Eliot,  preached  in  Guilford  during  the  summer 
after  his  death,  and  was  ordained  his  successor,  Nov.  2O,  1695. 
His  character  and  standing  as  a  minister  were  respectable.  He 
was  a  fellow  of  Yale  college  from  1711  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  June  I,  1728,  in  the  58th  year  of  his  age. 

[On  the  gth  of  June,  1728,"  being  the  Lord's  day  next  after 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  95 

the  funeral,"  a  discourse  was  pronounced  in  Guilford  on  Death, 
the  Advantage  of  the  Godly  :  from  Philippians  i,  20,  by  Elisha 
Williams,  A.M.,  and  Rector  of  Yale  college,  from  which  the 
following  characteristics  of  Mr.  Ruggles  are  excerpted  : 

"  What  of  him  first  took  our  Thoughts,  was  his  Comely, 
Serene  and  Majestick  Aspect,  his  Pleasant,  yet  Grave  and 
Solemn  Deportment,  every  way  becoming  the  great  Excellen- 
cies of  his  Mind,  always  commanding  our  Reverence,  and 
Attracting  our  Love.  Most  happy  was  he  in  a  Meek  com- 
posed, Peaceable  and  Pleasant  Disposition.  He  excelled  in  a 
peculiar  Sweetness  and  Goodness  of  Temper,  and  in  a  Beneficent 
Love  to  Mankind.  This  his  Love  most  Diffusive,  tho'  especially 
directed  to  such  where  the  Christian  appeared,  yet  led  him  to 
do  Good  to  all,  and  to  the  greatest  distance  from  speaking  Evil 
of  any.  He  was  Hearty  and  Real  in  his  Affection  to  his 
Friend,  Faithful  to  his  Interest,  Obliging  and  Sincere  in  the 
Expressions  of  his  Friendship,  and  wholly  Unpracticed  in  the 
Arts  of  Dissimulation."] 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Ruggles,  eldest  son  of  the  preceding,  a 
graduate  of  Yale  college  (1723)  was  ordained  here,  March  26, 
1729  and  died  Nov.  19,  1770,  aged  sixty-five.  He  was  a 
fellow  of  Yale  college  during  the  last  twenty- four  years  of  his  life. 

[The  funeral  sermon  of  Rev.  Thomas  Ruggles,  Jr.,  was 
delivered,  on  the  next  Lord's  day  after  his  death,  by  Jonathan 
Todd,  A.M.,  pastor  of  the  Second  church  in  Guilford,  on 
41  Judgment  and  Mercy :  or  Aaron  dead  and  lamented,  and 
Eleazer  in  his  Office,"  from  Numbers  xx,  28,  29.  Mr.  Todd 
speaks  of  him  as  a  man  of  sound  understanding,  a  solid  judg- 
ment, a  penetrating  genius,  a  very  strong  and  tenacious  memory. 
His  attainments  in  valuable  and  useful  learning  were  very  con- 
siderable. The  metaphysical  and  unintelligible  jargon  of  the 
schools  he  always  disliked.  But  true  philosophy  he  loved,  and 
was  well  acquainted  with  the  principles  thereof.  But  divinity 


96  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

was  the  chosen  study  to  which  he  chiefly  applied  himself.  *  * 
He  was  a  judicious,  orthodox  divine.  He  was  a  plain,  instruct- 
ive preacher.  His  study  was  not  rhetoric,  and  the  '  enticing 
words  of  man's  wisdom.'  Nor  was  he  happy  in  his  elocution. 
But  his  preaching  was  solid  and  weighty,  practical  and  serious. 
u  He  was  of  a  cautious  temper  ;  an  able  counselor  ;  grave,  but 
affable,  pleasant  and  facetious  in  his  converse  ;  he  loved  peace, 
was  noted  for  his  hospitality  in  his  house  ;  was  a  lover  of  good 
men,  and  a  friend  to  mankind.  Having  devoted  much  atten- 
tion to  local  history,  he  left  in  manuscript  a  History  of  Guilford^ 
down  to  1769.] 

The  Rev.  Amos  Fowler,  a  native  of  Guilford,  also  educated 
at  Yale  college  (1753)  was  ordained  a  colleague  of  Mr.  Ruggles, 
June  8,  1757,  and  died  Feb.  10,  1800,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two. 

[At  the  funeral  of  Mr.  Fowler,  the  sermon  was  delivered  by 
Thomas  Wells  Bray,  A.M.,  pastor  of  the  Third  (North  Guil- 
ford) church  in  Guilford,  on  "  The  Duty  of  Living  and  Dying 
to  the  Lord,"  from  Romans  xiv,  8.  The  speaker  had  been  a 
fellow-laborer  for  almost  thirty-four  years,  and  spoke  of  him  as 
"  by  nature  of  a  placid,  grave,  patient  and  meek  spirit  ;  which 
amiable  qualities,  being  greatly  brightened  by  divine  grace,  ren- 
dered him  eminent  for  constant  serenity  and  uninterrupted  calm- 
ness of  temper,  under  all  trials.  His  whole  deportment  ap- 
peared to  be  most  remote  from  pride,  envy  and  ostentation. 
Such  were  his  unaffected  modesty  and  humility,  that  his  work 
appeared  to  much  greater  advantage  to  those  who  improved 
their  acquaintance  with  him.  He  was  amiable  for  his  hos- 
pitality ;  his  esteem  of  good  men  ;  his  peaceable  and  friendly 
disposition  to  all.  He  was  ever  cautious  of  speaking  evil  of  any 
man  ;  and  not  only  desirous  of  living  peaceably  with  all,  but 
possessed  a  wonderful  talent  of  cooling  down  the  wrath  and 
violence  of  those  whose  passions  were  tumultuous.  That  wis- 
dom which  is  from  above,  seemed  to  be  eminent  in  him,  which 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  97 

is  first  pure,  etc.  He  was  ever  cool  and  judicious  in  counsel  — 
was  a  man  of  prayer  ;  with  plainness  and  pertinency  adapting 
his  expressions  to  every  case  on  which  he  was  called  to  speak. 
Mr.  Fowler  was  a  constant  father  to  the  people  of  his  charge, 
manifesting  a  readiness,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  to  spend 
and  be  spent  for  them,  to  live  and  die  with  them."  Another 
sermon  was  also  delivered  on  the  occasion  of  Mr.  Fowler's 
death  by  John  Elliott,  A.M.,  pastor  of  a  church  in  E.  Guilford, 
on  2  Kings  ii,  14.  "  Where  is  the  Lord  God  of  Elijah,"  in 
which  he  says,  Mr.  F.  "read  with  care  the  primitive  fathers,  but 
his  system  of  faith  was  founded  on  the  Bible." 

The  Rev.  Israel  Brainerd  of  Haddam  became  the  successor 
of  Mr.  Fowler,  June  n,  1800,  and  was  dismissed  June  n, 
1806.  [We  learn  from  an  obituary  of  this  minister,  published 
in  a  Presbyterian  paper,  that  he  was  born  in  1772.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  made  a  profession  of  religion.  His  collegiate 
education  was  obtained  at  Yale,  where  he  maintained  a  respect- 
able position,  graduating  1797  in  a  class  containing  such  men  as 
Dr.  Lyman  Beecher,  Dr.  James  Murdock,  Judge  Henry  Bald- 
win and  others.  He  spent  one  year  teaching  in  Albany,  pur- 
sued his  theological  studies  with  Dr.  Chas.  Backus  of  Somers, 
and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  Oct.,  1799.  The  writer  says 
that  during  his  ministry  here,  gross  errors  had  crept  into  the 
church,  and  that  although  the  influential  part  of  the  congrega- 
tion "  cried  for  smooth  things,"  his  faith  in  the  fundamental 
doctrines  of  grace  was  so  strong,  and  his  sense  of  personal  re- 
sponsibility to  the  great  Head  of  the  church  was  so  vivid,  that 
he  was  unable  to  yield  to  their  wishes,  but  on  the  other  hand 
was  earnest  and  bold  to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God, 
whether  men  would  hear  or  forbear.  "After  his  dismissal 
from  Guilford,  he  was  commissioned  by  the  Connecticut  Home 
Missionary  Society  as  a  missionary  to  Oneida  county,  N.  Y., 
and  was  subsequently  settled  in  Verona,  where  he  remained 
13 


98  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

pastor  for  thirty  years.  After  closing  his  pastoral  labors  in  V., 
he  served  "  the  church  as  a  missionary,  an  agent,  or  as  a  col- 
porteur till  the  last  week  of  his  life."  He  died  in  Syracuse  on 
the  fth  of  Sept.,  1854.] 

The  Rev.  Aaron  Dutton,  a  native  of  Watertown,  Conn., 
was  ordained  here  Dec.  10,  1806,  became  the  next  minister  in 
charge,  remaining  until  his  dismission,  June  8,  1842.  [He  was 
the  son  of  deacon  Thomas  Dutton,  and  was  born  in  Water- 
town,  May  21,  1780.  His  collegiate  education  was  obtained 
in  Yale  college,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1803.  He  also  received  from  the  college  the  degree  of  A.M., 
but  declined  that  of  D.D.,  as  contrary  to  the  divine  injunction 
in  Matt,  xxiii,  8.  In  1825,  he  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the 
corporation  of  the  college,  and  took  part  in  its  management 
until  his  death  in  1849. 

As  a  preacher  he  was  plain  and  practical,  not  eloquent  nor 
displaying  the  graces  of  oratory,  but  forcible  and  pointed  in  his 
sermons,  and  had  the  high  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his  labors 
were  not  in  vain.  During  the  first  three  years  of  his  ministry 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  united  with  the  church  by 
profession,  and  during  the  year  1821,  alone,  there  were  one 
hundred  and  eighteen.  General  revivals  occurred  in  1827, 
1831,  1834  and  in  1840.  More  than  six  hundred  persons  made 
a  profession  of  religion  during  his  ministry. 

He  was  very  kind  and  attentive  in  the  visitation  of  the  sick  ; 
making  daily  visits  in  cases  of  dangerous  sickness.  Active  and 
efficient  in  promoting  the  cause  of  education  ;  notwithstanding 
he  was  personally  engaged  in  teaching  a  school  for  the  higher 
branches,  he  acted  as  school  visitor  almost  every  year,  and  was 
able  to  state  from  personal  knowledge  who  were  efficient  as 
teachers  and  successful  as  scholars. 

He  married  Miss  Dorcas  Southmayd  of  Watertown,  shortly 
before  his  settlement  in  Guilford.  They  had  eight  child- 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  99 

ren  :  Mary  who  was  for  some  time  principal  of  Grove  Hall 
Female  Seminary  in  New  Haven ;  Dorcas  S.  wife  of  the 
late  Rev.  Edwin  R.  Gilbert  of  Wallingford,  who  died  in  1849  > 
Rev.  Thomas,  a  graduate  of  Williams  college,  and  settled  for 
a  time  in  Ashford  ;  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  W.  S.  of  New  Haven, 
so  well  known  and  so  universally  lamented  at  his  death  in  1866 ; 
Aaron  R.  Esq.,  of  the  class  of  1837,  a  lawyer  in  Columbus, 
Ohio  ;  and  three  others  who  died  at  the  ages  of  eleven,  fifteen, 
and  eighteen  respectively. 

After  Mr.  Dutton's  dismission  in  1842,  he  served  for  a  time 
as  a  missionary  in  the  west.  He  died  in  New  Haven,  June 
13,  1849,  at  tne  age  of  sixty-nine. —  A.  T.] 

[Rev.  E.  Edwin  Hall,  born  April  1814,  in  Blanford  Mass., 
a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Illinois  (1838),  was  settled  as 
pastor  October  25,  1843,  an^  continued  in  that  position  until 
July  24,  1855,  when,  desiring  to  make  a  visit  to  Europe,  he 
was  dismissed  at  his  own  request. 

Rev.  Henry  Wickes,  born  Feb.  n,  1821,  at  Jamaica  N.  Y., 
a  graduate  of  Marietta  college  (1848),  was  settled  as  pastor 
May  22,  1856,  and,  after  a  pastorate  of  two  years,  was  dis- 
missed July  21,  1858,  by  mutual  consent. 

Rev.  William  S.  Smith,  born  July  10,  1821,  at  Leverett, 
Mass.,  a  graduate  of  Amherst  college  (1848,)  was  next  settled 
over  the  church  as  pastor,  May  3,  1859,  but,  after  continuing  in 
that  relation  for  more  than  six  years,  was  dismissed  July  3, 
1865,  on  account  of  ill  health. 

The  church  remained  without  a  settled  pastor  for  nearly  five 
years  after  Mr.  Smith's  resignation,  during  a  part  of  which  time 
Rev.  E.  Edwin  Hall  acted  as  stated  supply.  Finally,  how- 
ever, Rev.  Cornelius  L.  Kitchel,  born  July  5,  1841,  at 
Thomaston,  Conn.,  a  graduate  of  Yale  college  (1862),  was 
settled  as  pastor,  April  13,  1870,  and  remained  until  his  resig- 
nation and  dismission  March  24,  1873. 


1OO  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Rev.  Theodore  L.  Day,  a  graduate  of  Yale  college  (1867) 
was  then  engaged  as  a  stated  supply,  from  November  1874,  re- 
maining as  such  until  February,  1877.] 

Upon  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Ruggles  the  younger,  an  un- 
happy separation  took  place  which,  only  after  the  lapse  of  nearly 
a  century,"was  healed.  A  large  number  of  the  church,  together 
with  many  of  the  society,  being  unwilling  to  receive  him  as  their 
pastor,  withdrew  and  established  public  worship  among  them- 
selves. They  obtained  Mr.  Edmund  Ward,  a  native  of  the 
town  and  graduate  of  Yale  college  (1727),  who  had  been  re- 
cently licensed  to  preach  at  New  Haven,  as  a  candidate  for  the 
ministry  to  preach  for  them,  and  they  went  forward  and  erected 
a  house  for  the  service  of  God.  After  various,  unsuccessful 
attempts  of  councils  and  committees  appointed  by  the  legislature 
to  reconcile^  them  to  their  brethren,  they  were  formed  into  a 
distinct  society  called  "  the  Fourth  Society  in  Guilford"  having 
the  same  territorial  limits  as  the  First  Society,  by  an  act  of  the 
general  assembly  passed  May  session,  1733. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  ^Ward  was  ordained  Sept.  21,  1733,  pastor 
over  the  new  congregation,  and  the  church  organized.  The 
ordination  sermon  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  John  Graham, 
the  first  pastor  of  the  church  in  Southbury,  then  a  parish  of 
Woodbury  in  this  state.  Mr.  Ward  remained  with  his  church 
and  society  until  sometime  in  1735,  when  he  was  dismissed  and 
deposed  by  a  council.  After  this  he  became  an  Episcopalian, 
and  united  with  some  others  in  the  formation  of  the  Episcopal 
society  in  Guilford.  He  used  occasionally  to  read  service, 
but  never  took  orders  in  the  Episcopal  church.  He  died, 
October,  1779,  aged  73. 

The  Rev.  James  Sproat,  D.D.,  of  Scituate,  Mass.,  was  or- 
dained over  the  Fourth  Society,  Aug.  23,  1743,  and  dismissed 
Oct.  18,  1768,  and  soon  after  this  was  installed  over  the  Second 
Presbyterian  church  of  Philadelphia.  Dr.  Sproat  was  educated 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  IOI 

at  Yale  college,  where  he  graduated  1J4-1.'  He  became  a  sub- 
ject of  religious  exercises  during  his  connection  with  that  insti- 
tution, under  a  discourse  delivered  by  the  celebrated  Gilbert 
Tennent,  his  predecessor  in  Philadelphia.  Dr.  S.  remained 


[x  The  following  articles  from  The  Connecticut  Journal,  manifestly  refers  to  the  de- 
parture of  Dr.  Sproat  from  Guilford.  They  show  that  some  of  his  members  were 
animated  with  unfriendly  feelings  towards  him,  and  that  bitter  controversy  was  stimu- 
lating those  engaged  in  it  to  indulge  in  unseemly  and  abusive  language  : 

Guilford,  Aug.  1 8,  1769. 

In  the  town  of  G — d,  an  under  shepherd  lately  deserted  or  ran  away  from  his  flock 
without  leave  or  license,  either  from  his  own  or  the  flocks  of  the  circuit  with  which 
he  was  consociated,  having  nothing  to  keep  him  in  countenance  but  the  advice  of  seven 
of  his  brethren,  and  the  concurring  yelps  of  four  of  their  spaniels.  When  he  came 
to  them,  he  had  neither  crook,  shoes  nor  scrip,  nor  two  coats ;  but  soon  clothed  and 
warmed  himself  with  their  fleeces,  and  very  soon  became  a  listener  to  the  bleatings  of 
other  flocks,  and  nothing  would  stop  their  din  from  his  ears,  but  to  stuff  them  with 
the  fleeces  of  his  own  purchase.  He  may  be  found  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  rolling 
in  his  chaise,  with  his  charming  shepherdess,  had  on  when  he  went  away,  a  large 
Presbyterian  cloak  somewhat  soiled,  with  a  full  bottomed  wig,  and  five  or  six 
hundred  pounds  of  fleece  from  his  flock.  Whoever  shall  secure  him,  or  set  him  over 
a  herd  of  goats,  till  his  master's  will  shall  be  known,  no  doubt  when  the  flocks  are 
gathered  together,  will  meet  with  an  ample  reward. 

P.  S.  The  reason  why  no  inquiry  has  been  made  after  him  any  sooner,  was  be- 
cause he  has  made  several  rambles  before,  of  a  month  or  six  weeks,  it  was  not  known, 
but  he  would  have  returned  again,  and  as  there  is  no  signs  of  it  at  present,  it  is  likely 
there  will  be  monthly  some  such  inquiry  made. 

The  following  appears  in  the  next  paper  : 

This  may  certify  all  whom  it  may  concern,  that  the  art  of  barking  is  taught  by 
Toby  Ramsborn,  bell-wether  of  the  flock  of  G — / — d.  It  is  unnecessary  to  expatiate 
on  the  benefit  arising  from  the  noble  art,  let  it  suffice  that  the  flock  in  G — / — d 
under  the  instructions  and  directions  of  old  Toby,  have  regained  their  liberty,  driving 
away  their  shepherd,  and  are  now  barking  at  him  after  he  is  gone.  Old  Toby  in- 
structs at  the  lowest  price,  in  all  the  various  ways  af  barking — teaches  to  bark  by 
note  both  treble,  tenor,  and  bass,  and  is  preparing  a  treatise  upon  the  subject  of 
barking.  He  proposes  for  ready  money,  to  bark  either  for  religion  or  liberty,  or 
against  them  ;  and  will  bark  gratis,  monthly,  for  public  good.  He  at  present  bears 
the  bell  in  the  flock  at  G — / — d,  which  is  a  fine  flock,  though  we  must  confess  very 
much  hide-bound.  A  specimen  of  his  barking  may  be  seen  in  the  last  paper.  If 
any  man,  dog,  wolf,  sheep,  or  any  other  kind  of  animal,  desires  to  be  instructed  in 
this  noble  art,  let  him  repair  to  aforesaid  Toby,  who  with  all  possible  cheapness  and 
diligence  will  teach  him  the  exercise  of  the  windpipe. —  Barber's  Conn.  Hist.  Collec- 
tions, 219.] 


IO2  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

in  his  new  charge  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Oct.  18, 
1798,  in  the  jist  year  of  his  age.  His  death  was  owing  to  the 
yellow  fever,  which  proved  fatal  not  only  to  him,  but  to  his 
wife  and  several  of  their  children.  In  each  of  his  two  charges 
he  spent  twenty-five  years,  and  was  greatly  and  deservedly  es- 
teemed in  both,  as  a  man,  a  Christian  and  a  minister.  Doct. 
Ashbel  Green,  late  president  of  Princeton  college,  who  had 
been  his  colleague  and  successor,  describes  him,  in  a  funeral 
sermon,  as  excelling  in  the  graces  of  the  gospel,  as  a  good  pro- 
ficient in  scholastic  attainments,  and  as  an  eminent  theologian. 

As  a  preacher  he  had  but  few  equals  in  his  day,  being  highly 
evangelical  and  dwelling  much  on  the  doctrine  of  grace.  In 
the  early  part  of  his  ministry,  his  exertions  were  mainly  directed 
to  the  extension  of  the  great  revival  which  then  happily  prevailed 
in  our  country.  Throughout  his  whole  life  his  labors  were  ad- 
mirably adapted  to  the  promotion  of  experimental  and  vital 
religion. 

The  Rev.  Daniel  Brewer  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  also  a  graduate 
of  Yale  college  (1765),  succeeded  Dr.  Sproat,  Sept.  18,  1771, 
in  Guilford.  Soon  after  this,  embracing  the  sentiments  of  the 
Sandemanians,  he  was  dismissed  in  1775.  In  1779  he  removed 
to  Newtown,  Conn.,  and  thence  to  Taunton,  Mass.,  where  he 
died  in  December  1825  in  the  8ld  year  of  his  age.  He  retained 
his  Sandemanian  sentiments  through  life,  and  of  course  never 
preached  after  leaving  his  charge  in  Guilford,  as  that  denomina- 
tion admits  none  as  preachers  but  Christ  and  his  apostles, 
although  they  allow  their  professors  and  especially  their  elders 
to  remark  on  passages  of  scripture  read  in  their  assemblies,  and 
to  deliver  exhortations.  Mr.  Brewer  was  an  elder  in  his  new 
church-connection,  both  at  Newtown  and  Taunton.  He  was 
a  man  of  good  natural  abilities,  respectable  as  a  scholar  and  ap- 
parently pious. 

The  Rev.  Beriah  Hotchkin,  a  native  of  Guilford  but  not  a 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

college  graduate  was  ordained  over  the  Fourth  Society,  Aug.  17, 
1785,  and  was  dismissed  March,  1789,  in  which  year  he  re- 
moved to  Greenville,  N.  Y.,  whither  some  of  his  people  had 
gone  before  him.  He  was  installed  about  1793,  and  remained 
in  connection  with  them  until  1824  or  1825,  when  he  obtained 
a  dismission  and  removed  to  the  county  of  Steuben.  He  con- 
tinued to  preach  for  some  time,  supplying  a  destitute  congrega- 
tion, and  died  February,  1829,  aged  seventy-eight.  When  Mr. 
Hotchkin,  removed  to  Greenville,  the  northern  parts  of  New 
York,  from  the  Hudson  to  the  region  of  Oneida  county,  as  far 
west  as  English  settlements  had  been  extended,  were  almost 
wholly  destitute  of  religious  instruction.  There  was  not  a  sin- 
gle Congregational  minister  in  this  region  beside  himself,  and 
but  few  of  the  Presbyterian  and  Reformed  Dutch  churches. 
He  had  a  very  happy  influence  in  promoting  the  cause  of  the 
Redeemer  in  Greenville  and  vicinity,  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
state. 

Mr.  Hotchkin  was  the  last  clergyman  ever  settled  over  the 
Fourth  Society.  Many  of  the  members  died,  others  removed 
or  joined  the  First  Society,  until  the  church  became  extinct. 
In  1 8 10,  sixteen  persons  who  had  belonged  to  that  society,  were 
returned  to  the  First  Society  by  an  act  of  the  legislature,  and 
the  society  was  considered  at  an  end.  The  circumstances  that 
led  to  the  formation  of  this  church  and  society  were  very  un- 
happy. The  town  and  vicinity  were  agitated  and  confused, 
but  the  separation  does  not  merit,  I  apprehend,  all  that  promi- 
nence which  the  excellent  Doctor  Trumbull  has  given  to  it  in 
the  history  of  this  state. 

It  has  already  been  noticed  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  first 
settlers  of  the  town  were  professors  of  religion.  A  large  share 
of  their  descendants,  from  generation  to  generation,  are  under- 
stood also  to  have  been  professors,  but  as  no  records  of  the 
First  church  exist  of  a  date  prior  to  January,  1747,  it  is  impossi- 


1O4  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

ble  to  state  precisely  how  many  belonged  to  this  church  before 
that  period.  There  were  then  one  hundred  and  seventy-two 
members.  From  that  period  onward  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Fowler  one  hundred  and  sixteen  were  added.  Mr.  Brainard 
admitted  eighty-six,  and  Mr.  Dutton  about  six  hundred. 

In  1 80 1  some  special  interest  in  religion  prevailed,  and  during 
the  two  succeeding  years  more  than  fifty  were  added  to  the 
church.  In  the  beginning  of  1808,  a  revival  prevailed  and  one 
hundred  and  nineteen  were  soon  after  admitted.  Another  re- 
vival prevailed  aboutthe  closeof  1820,  and  the  beginning  of  1821, 
and  one  hundred  and  eighteen  were  added  to  the  church  soon 
after.  In  1827,  thirty-five  were  gathered  into  the  church  from 
a  revival  that  occurred  during  that  year,  and  from  another  in 
1831,  about  eighty. 

[The  following  persons  have  entered  the  ministry  from  the 
First  church  viz.  Jared  Eliot,  Daniel  Collins,  Timothy  Col- 
lins, Edmund  Ward,  Bela  Hubbard  D.D.  (Ep.),  Samuel 
Johnson,  D.D.  (Ep.),  Thomas  Ruggles,  William  Seward, 
Timothy  Stone,  Andrew  Fowler  (Ep.),  Thomas  Ruggles,  Jun., 
Joy  H.  Fairchild,  William  Leete,  Jr.,  Thomas  Dutton,  Edwin 
H.  Seward,  Theodore  A.  Leete,  Beriah  Hotchkin,  John  H. 
Fowler,  Henry  Robinson,  Sherman  Griswold  (Bap.),  S.  W. 
S.  Dutton,  D.D.,  Martin  Dudley,  Henry  L.  Hall,  Edward  C. 
Starr,  John  W.  Starr.] 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


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IO8  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Within  the  local  limits  of  the  First  Society  an  Episcopal  con- 
gregation was  embodied,  September  5,  1744,  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Lyons,  a  missionary  of  "  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,"  belonging  to  the  Church  of  England. 
The  conformists  in  January,  1746,  viz:  Messrs.  Samuel 
Collins,  Nathaniel  Johnson,  Edmund  Ward,  Ebenezer  Bishop 
and  John  Collins,  in  regular  meeting  voted  to  build  a  church, 
which  was  raised  the  following  year  and  opened  by  Rev.  Samuel 
Johnson,  D.D.,  in  March,  1750,  since  which  time  the  Liturgy 
of  the  Church  of  England  has  been  employed  by  its  members. 
The  members  were  few  in  number  until  1805  or  1806,  when 
they  received  considerable  accessions  from  the  First  Society. 
They  enjoyed  at  first  the  occasional  services  of  some  of  the 
missionaries  from  the  society  just  named,  and  those  of  the  Rev. 
Bela  Hubbard,  D.D.  (Y.  C.,  1758),  a  native  of  Guilford, 
then  residing  in  New  Haven,  from  1764  to  1767.  During  the 
revolutionary  war  it  is  believed  that  they  were  deprived  of 
clerical  ministration  and  so  continued  probably  down  to  1793. 
The  church  edifice  suffered  during  the  war  greatly  from  plunder 
and  decay,  and  the  congregation  became  almost  extinct.  In- 
deed from  the  peace  of  1783  to  about  1793,  the  parish  was  only 
nominally  in  existence,  but  occasional  services  were  rendered 
by  Rev.  Bela  Hubbard,  D.D.  (perhaps  by  Rev.  Andrew  Fow- 
ler), and  Rev.  David  Butler. 

The  Rev.  Nathan  B.  Burgess,  a  native  of  Washington,  Conn., 
was  called  in  1801  to  be  the  rector  of  this  church  and  of  that 
formed  in  North  Guilford,  and  remained  until  September,  1805, 
when  his  connection  was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent.  He 
afterwards  settled  in  Glastonbury. 

In  March,  1807,  the  Rev.  David  Baldwin,  of  Litchfield, 
began  to  conduct  service  in  Guilford,  and  in  June,  1809,  was 
inducted  into  office  as  the  rector  of  the  Episcopal  parishes  of 
Guilford,  North  Guilford  and  North  Killingworth,  in  all  of 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  109 

which  he  officiated  until  September,  1824,  when  he  confined 
his  labors  to  the  two  parishes  of  Guilford.  In  1833,  he  re- 
signed the  rectorate  of  the  first  parish,  and  his  place  was  supplied 
by  Rev.  Lorenzo  T.  Bennett,  D.D.,  of  New  Haven,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Yale  college  (1825),  who  continued  until  Easter,  1835, 
when  he  resigned  and  became  associated  with  the  Rev.  Doctor 
Harry  Croswell  over  the  Episcopal  church  in  New  Haven. 
In  the  same  year  the  Rev.  William  N.  Hawks  was  made  rector 
of  the  Guilford  parish,  but  in  consequence  of  the  failing  of  his 
voice  .he  resigned  in  the  following  October.  He  was  succeeded 
in  the  ensuing  March  by  the  Rev.  Levi  H.  Corson  (a  graduate 
of  Washington,  now  Trinity  college,  Hartford),  who  resigned 
March,  1838,  and  was  succeeded  in  April  by  the  Rev.  Edward 
J.  Darken.  Mr.  Darken  resigned  in  1840,  and  the  Rev. 
Lorenzo  T.  Bennett,  D.D.,  was  again  invited  to  the  rectorship, 
which  he  retains  to  this  day. 

The  name  of  the  parish  in  Guilford  is  Christ  Church.  The 
church  which  was  consecrated  in  1750,  was  the  last  edifice  left 
standing  on  the  Green,  where  it  attracted  attention  for  many 
years,  surrounded  as  it  was  with  stately  poplars.  In  1836,  the 
enterprise  of  building  a  new  edifice  was  undertaken,  a  little  east 
of  the  old  building  on  the  margin  of  the  Green.  The  corner 
stone  was  laid  in  the  usual  form  by  Mr.  Corson,  the  rector  of 
the  parish,  June  24,  1836  (the  bishop  of  the  diocese  being 
absent) ;  on  which  occasion  an  elegant  and  appropriate  address 
was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  L.  T.  Bennett.  The  church 
was  consecrated  December  12,  1838,  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas  Church  Brownell,  bishop  of  Connecticut. 

This  edifice  is  a  peculiarly  beautiful  gothic  structure  of  granite, 
sixty-four  feet  by  forty-four,  and  cost  about  7,500  dollars.  In 
1872  repairs  and  extensive  improvements  were  made,  and  a 
recess  chancel  was  added,  at  a  cost  of  5,000  dollars,  rendering 
the  edifice  one  of  the  handsomest  rural  churches  in  the  diocese. 


no 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


The  following  Persons  have  been  Wardens. 


Names. 

Date  of  Election. 

Expiration  of  Office. 

Death. 

Age. 

Thomas   Powers,... 
Charles  Collins,  
Abraham  Coan,  .... 
Jedediah   Lathrop,  .  . 
Erastus  C.  Kimberly, 
re-elected,  

Nov.  n,  1799, 
Nov.  n,  1799, 
April  3,  1820, 
April  3,  1820, 
April  19,  1824, 
April  6,  1863 

April  3,  1820, 
April  3,  1820, 
April  20,  1840, 
April  19,  1824, 
April  4,  1825, 
April  i,  1872 

Dec.  26,  1822, 
Feb.  26,  1823, 
Feb.  14,  1863, 
1859, 
July  17,  1875, 

80. 
78. 
88 
91. 
80. 

Thomas  Burgis,.  .  .  . 
re-elected,  

April  4,  1825, 
April  20,  1840, 

April  8,  1833, 
April  17,  1854 

May  25,  1861, 

90. 

Henry  Loper,  

April  8,  i8i7. 

April  6,  1863 

Feb.  21,  1873, 

82 

John  H.  Bartlett,  .  .  . 
George  A.  Foote,  .  .  . 
George  B.    Spencer,. 
Henry  Hale,  

April  17,  1854, 
April  i,  1861, 
April  i,  1872. 
April  6,  1874. 

April  i,  1861, 
April  6,  1874. 

July  10,  1864, 

68. 

George  C.  Kimberly, 

April  17,  1876. 

This  parish  has  a  fund  $1,050,  at  interest  devoted  to  the 
support  of  the  gospel,  of  which  $1000  was  a  legacy  from  Charles 
Collins  and  $50  from  Miss  Ruth  Loyselle.  It  has  also  been  the 
recipient  of  $300  from  Franklin  M.  Hill.  Wm.  H.  Hubbard,  a 
native  of  Guilford,  but  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Richmond, 
Va.,  also  bequeathed  the  sum  of  $10,000  to  the  parish,  of  which 
only  a  portion  has  been  received,  in  consequence  of  losses  ex- 
perienced by  his  estate  during  the  rebellion. 

The  parish  of  North  Guilford,  called  St.  John's  church  was 
organized  in  1748,  when  a  few  inhabitants  of  North  Guilford 
united  together,  and  built  a  church,  since  which  time  they  have 
increased  considerably.  In  1812  they  built  a  new  church  in 
place  of  the  old  one  which  had  become  dilapidated.  They  were 
supplied  with  ministers  in  the  same  way  at  first  as  the  other 
parish. 

St.  John's  church  has  a  fund  about  $800,  given  by  Zadoc 
Hull  and  George  Bartlett.1 

A  Baptist  church  was  organized  June  30,  1808,  consisting 
of  nineteen  members.  Elder  Alvah  B.  Goldsmith  was  ordained, 


1  W.  H.  Hubbard  also  left  this  parish,  in  his  will,  $10,000  a  portion  of  which  has 
only  been  paid  over,  in  consequence  of  the  losses  experienced  by  his  estate,  already 
mentioned. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  Ill 

Feb.  24,  1823,  over  this  society,  and  his  father  Joshua  Gold- 
smith was  appointed  and  ordained  deacon  at  the  same  time. 
They  met  for  a  long  time  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  academy 
on  Sunday. 

[The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  owes  its  origin  here  to  the 
labors  of  Rev.  Nathan  Kellogg  who  first  preached  in  a  private 
house,  with  a  view  to  effect  a  church  organization.  During 
the  winter  of  1837-8,  Rev.  Charles  Chittenden,  from  the  New 
York  conference,  came  here  as  a  missionary,  and  through  him 
a  Methodist  society  was  formed.  The  society  commenced 
building  a  frame  church,  forty-eight  by  thirty-six  feet,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  green  during  his  pastorate.  The  timber  used 
in  its  erection  was  furnished  by  Mr.  William  Hale,  the  pastor 
proceeding  to  the  woods,  along  with  some  of  the  members,  and 
helping  to  fell  the  first  tree.  During  the  erection  of  the  church, 
service  was  held  in  private  houses.  The  church  was  com- 
pleted and  dedicated  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Hart  Pease 
1838-9.  The  original  trustees  were  John  Hale,  William  Hale, 
Henry  Griffin,  Samuel  Leete,  Samuel  A.  Barker,  Lucius  Elliot, 
F.  C.  Phelps  and  A.  Kelsey. 

Since  Mr.  Pease's  departure,  the  following  clergymen  have 
been  in  charge,  Rev,  James  Rawson,  Rev.  E.  S.  Stout,  Rev. 
R.  W.  Wymond  (he  remained  two  years  and  received  ninety 
on  probation.  At  this  time  a  great  revival  occurred  in  the  town, 
some  two  hundred  professing  religion  in  the  village),  Rev.  Ben- 
jamin Pillsbury,  Rev.  Lawson  Turner,  Rev.  Julius  Field,  Rev. 
Chas.  W.  Lyon  (two  years),  Rev.  C.  W.  Gallagher,  Rev.  E. 
A.  Blake,  Rev.  Douglass,  Rev.  John  S.  Wilson  and  R. 
W.  Whitcomb.  During  the  years  when  the  church  was  with- 
out a  regular  minister,  the  pulpit  was  supplied  from  the  Wes- 
leyan  university  at  Middletown,  Conn.] 

[The  Third  Congregational  church.  At  an  ecclesiastical 
council  held  in  Guilford,  November  23,  1843,  one  hundred 


112  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

twenty-three  persons,  from  the  First  Congregational  church,  were 
organized  into  the  Third  Congregational  church  of  Guilford. 

The  present  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1844,  and  dedi- 
cated to  the  service  of  God,  January  i,  1845.  It  was  re- 
modeled in  1862,  and  supplied  with  a  suitable  organ  in  1873. 

The  church  is  connected  with  the  New  Haven  East  Con- 
sociation. Its  membership  (Sept.  18,  1876)  is  228,  and  the 
Sabbath  school  connected  with  the  church  numbers  306.  The 
church  has  been  served  by  the  following  pastors : 

Rev.  David  Root,  the  first  pastor,  was  born  in  Piermont,  N. 
H.,  June  17,  1791.  He  graduated  at  Middlebury  college,  Vt., 
and  there  studied  for  the  ministry.  Went  to  Georgia  to  preach 
about  i8i8,'andthere~married  Miss  AlmiraAlden  of  Connecticut. 
About  the  year  1820  he  became  pastor  of  the  Second  Presby- 
terian church  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Removed  thence  to  Dover, 
N.  H.,  where  he  married,  as  his  second  wife,  Miss  Mary  Gor- 
don. Next  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  became  pastor 
of  the  First  Congregational  church,  after  which  he  removed  to 
Waterbury,  Conn.,  where  he  was  installed,  in  July,  1841,  pastor 
of  the  First  Congregational  church.  Having  been  duly  dis- 
missed in  1844  from  this  church,  he  was  installed  pastor  of  the 
Third  church,  Guilford,  January  i,  1845.  Being  dismissed 
from  the  church,  at  his  own  request,  April  6,  1851,  he  did  not 
again  resume  ministerial  labors.  The  remainder  of  his  days  he 
spent  in  New  Haven,  and  with  his  son-in-law  Horace  White, 
Esq.,  in  Chicago,  at  which  latter  place  he  died  August  30, 
1873.  His  remains  were  brought  to  Guilford,  and  interred  in 
Alderbrook  cemetery.  The  monument,  marking  his  grave, 
bears  this  inscription  : 

Rev.  David  Root,  pastor  of  the  Third  Congregational  church, 
Guilford,  1845—1850.  Born  in  Piermont,  N.  H.,  June  17, 
1791,  died  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  Aug.  30,  1873,  aged  82. 

A  faithful  and  fearless  servant  of  God  the  father  of  our  Lord 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Jesus  Christ.  A  pioneer  and  untiring  laborer  in  the  anti-slavery 
cause.  A  man  of  active  benevolence,  and  a  diligent  promoter 
of  Christian  education.  His  memory  is  lovingly  cherished  by 
those  with  whom  he  dwelt,  and  his  influence  remains  to  bless 
coming  generations. 

Rev.  Richard  Manning  Chipman,  the  second  pastor,  was 
born  at  Salem,  Mass.,  January  12,  1806,  the  eldest  of  twelve 
children  of  Deacon  Richard  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Grey)  Chipman. 
He  prepared  for  college  at  Kimball  Union  academy,  Moriton, 
N.  H.,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  college,  1832.  He  studied 
for  the  Christian  ministry  in  the  Theological  seminary,  Prince- 
ton, N.  J.,  and  in  the  theological  department  of  the  University 
of  New  York.  During  the  years  1833  and  1834  he  was  cor- 
responding secretary  of  the  American  Peace  Society,  and  editor 
of  their  periodical,  The  Calumet,  in  New  York.  He  was 
ordained  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Harwinton, 
Conn.,  March  4,  1835,  and  dismissed  from  the  same  March  13, 
1839.  In  1839  he  was  elected  professor  of  theology  in  the 
Oneida  (Collegial)  institute  at  Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  and  also 
invited  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Congregational  church  in  South 
Norwalk,  Conn.,  both  of  which  overtures  he  declined.  He 
was  pastor  of  the  Evangelical  (Congregational)  church  in  Athol, 
Mass.,  from  August  15,  1839  to  December  23,  1851,  and  of 
the  Third  Congregational  church  of  Guilford  from  Jan.  14, 
1852  to  May  19,  1858.  Since  then  he  has  been  acting  pastor 
of  Congregational  churches  at  Wolcottville  in  Torrington, 
Conn.,  1859-1861,  at  Middle  Haddam  in  Chatham,  Conn., 
1861-1863,  at  Hyde  Park,  Mass.,  1864-6,  at  East  Granby, 
Conn.,  1866-70,  and  from  1871  at  Lisbon,  Conn.  In  1863-4 
he  was  in  the  service  of  the  National  Freedman's  Relief  Com- 
mission of  Salem,  Mass. 

Mr.  C.  has  published  among  others  ; 

15 


114  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

1.  Discourse  on  Ecclesiastical  Prosperity,  delivered  at  dedi- 
cation of  church  at  Terry  ville  in  Plymouth,  Conn.,  1838. 

2.  Discourse  on  Free  Discussion,  delivered  at  Harwinton, 
Conn.,  1839. 

3.  Discourse  on  Maintenance  of  Moral  Purity,  delivered  at 
Athol,  Mass.,  1841. 

4.  Memoir  of  Eli  Thorp,  1842. 

5.  The  history  of  Harwinton,  Conn.,  1860. 

6.  The  Chipman   Lineage,  particularly   as   in    Essex   Co., 
Mass.,  1872. 

Mr.  Chipman  married  June  n,  1835,  Mary,  second  daughter 
of  Rev.  Fosdic  and  Elizabeth  (Bunnel)  Harrison,  then  of 
Roxbury,  Conn.  His  only  child  is  Richard  Harrison  Chipman, 
born  January  19,  1837. 

Rev.  George  Ingersoll  Wood,  the  third  pastor,  was  born  at 
Stamford,  Conn.,  May,  20,  1814,  being  the  second  son  of  Hon. 
Joseph  and  Fanny  (Ellsworth)  Wood.  His  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Oliver  Ellsworth,  second  chief  justice  of  the  United 
States.  Mr.  W.  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  the  class  of  1833, 
studied  law  for  two  years  with  his  father,  spent  a  year  in  the 
Divinity  school  at  New  Haven,  and  completed  his  theological 
education  in  the  Union  Theological  seminary  of  New  York, 
in  1838.  He  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
church,  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  May  18,  1840,  whence,  after 
two  years  ministry,  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  of  West  Hartford,  where  he  was  installed 
and  remained  for  a  few  years  until  ill-health  obliged  him  to  ask 
a  dismission.  From  184410  1850  he  supplied  the  pulpit  of  the 
First  Congregational  church  in  North  Branford,  Conn.,  when 
he  was  installed  pastor  of  the  church  in  Ellington,  Conn.,  June 
26,  1850.  A  bronchial  difficulty  interfering  with  his  perform- 
ance of  ministerial  duty,  and  having  in  vain  sought  relief  by  rest 
and  a  voyage  to  Europe,  his  request  for  a  dismission  was  re- 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  115 

luctantly  granted  February  20,  1854.  After  resting  for  a  year, 
he  again  supplied  the  pulpit  in  North  Branford,  Conn.,  for  three 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  called  to  Guilford  and 
installed  as  pastor  of  the  Third  Congregational  church,  Novem- 
ber 30,  1858,  where  he  remained  until  October  2,  1867,  when 
the  recurrence  of  the  bronchial  trouble  compelled  him  to  resign. 
For  eighteen  months  after  this,  he  lived  in  St.  Cloud,  Minne- 
sota, where  he  preached  most  of  the  time  in  the  First  Congre- 
gational church.  On  his  return  to  the  east  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Ellington,  Conn.,  supplying  the  pulpit  of  the  church 
there  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He  now  preaches  occasionally  in 
different  parts  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Wood  married  April  24,  1840,  Susan  T.,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Samuel  and  Clarina  B.  Merwin  of  New  Haven,  by  whom 
he  had  four  children. 

Rev.  George  M.  Boynton,  the  fourth  pastor,  was  born  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  1837.  He  graduated  at  Yale  college  in 
the  class  of  1858,  and  at  the  Union  Theological  seminary  in 
New  York  city  in  1863.  He  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Riverdale,  N.  Y.  (now  included  in  the  city 
of  New  York).  He  was  installed  pastor  of  the  Third  church, 
Guilford,  June  24,  1868,  and  dismissed,  December  I,  1872, 
from  that  relation  to  become  pastor  of  the  Belleville  avenue 
Congregational  church,  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  where  he  is  laboring 
at  the  present  time. 

Rev.  Geo.  W.  Banks,  the  fifth  and  present  pastor,  was  born 
at  Greenfield  Hill,  Fairfield,  Conn.,  July  u,  1839.  He  grad- 
uated at  Yale  college  in  the  class  of  1863,  and  at  the  Yale 
Theological  seminary  in  1866.  He  was  ordained,  October  3, 
1866,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Bethlehem,  Conn., 
and  dismissed  March  u,  1874.  He  was  installed  pastor  of  the 
Third  church,  June  18,  1874.] 


n6 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


The  following  Persons  have  been  chosen  as  Deacons  in  the 
Third  Church. 


Name. 

Date  of  Election. 

Death. 

Age. 

Asher  Dudley,  

Q2. 

Leverett  Griswold,.    ,  

March   8    1844 

Alfred  G    Hull,    

Tames  D    Hall     

Henrv  E.  Norton.   

Mav  ii.  1877. 

Of  the  three  hundred  and  thirty  three  families  living,  in  1838, 
within  the  bounds  of  the  located  parishes  of  Guilford,  two 
hundred  and  twenty- three  were  Congregationalists,  fifty-seven 
Episcopalians,  thirty-five  Baptists,  four  Methodists  and  fourteen 
Nothingarians. 

[The  Roman  catholics  first  met  together  in  Guilford,  as  a 
distinct  religious  body  in  1854.  Their  first  meetings  were  held 
in  the  old  stone  house,  once  the  residence  of  Rev.  Henry  Whit- 
field.  In  1860,  they  purchased  a  small  building  on  Harbor 
street  and  fitted  it  up  as  a  chapel,  in  which  they  continued  to 
meet  for  several  years.  In  1876  they  erected  a  handsome  church 
on  the  corner  of  Harbor  and  High  streets  in  which  some  thirty 
families  find  suitable  accommodations,  and  where  public  wor- 
ship is  statedly  maintained.] 

The  people  in  North  Guilford,  having  been  incorporated  as 
a  society  by  an  act  of  legislature  passed  in  May  1720,  went 
forward  and  built  themselves  a  house  of  worship  in  1723.  Their 
second  house  was  erected  in  1814.  Mr.  Samuel  Russel  (Y. 
C.,  1712),  son  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Russel  minister  of  the  church 
in  Branford,  one  of  the  founders  of  Yale  college  and  son  of  the 
Rev.  John  Russel  for  some  time  a  minister  at  Wethersfield  and 
afterwards  at  Hadley,  Mass.,  where  he  became  so  distinguished 
as  a  protector  of  the  regicides,  Judges  Goffe  and  Whalley  — 
was  the  first  clergyman  of  this  parish.  Bearing  the  character 
of  a  faithful  and  worthy  minister  of  the  gospel,  he  died  Jan. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  llj 

19,  1746,  in  the  fifty-third  year  of  his  age.  The  number  ad- 
mitted by  him  to  the  church  is  unknown. 

The  Rev.  John  Richards  of  Waterbury,  who,  as  well  as  Mr. 
Russel  was  a  graduate  (1745),  of  Yale  college,  and  his  successor 
and  son-in-law,  was  ordained  at  North  Guilford,  Nov.  2,  1748, 
and  dismissed,  at  his  request,  by  the  consociation  Dec.  25,  1765. 
After  his  dismission  he  resided  sometime  at  Watertown,  where 
he  had  no  charge,  when  he  removed  to  New  Concord  in  the 
town  of  Chatham,  New  York,  where  at  length  he  gathered  a 
church  and  was  installed  its  pastor  1771,  but  was  dismissed  at 
the  close  of  the  year  1773.  He  removed  afterwards  to  Pier- 
mont,  New  Hampshire,  where  he  gathered  another  church  and 
was  soon  after  again  installed  its  pastor.  In  advanced  life  he 
was  dismissed  a  third  time.  He  then  retired  to  New  Hampton 
in  the  same  state,  where  he  died  in  1811,  aged  eighty-five.  He 
admitted  eighty-five  persons  to  the  church  in  North  Guilford. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Wells  Bray,  a  native  of  Branford,  who 
had  spent  most  of  his  youth  in  Farmington,  also  a  graduate 
(1765),  of  Yale  college,  was  ordained  minister  of  this  parish, 
December  31,  1766,  and  died  April  23,  1808,  in  the  seventieth 
year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Bray  was  a  man  of  good  judgment  and 
examplary  piety,  a  plain,  serious  preacher.  He  admitted  one 
hundred  and  fifty-two  members  to  the  communion,  and  fifteen 
more  were  admitted  in  the  interval  between  his  death  and  the 
ordination  of  his  successor. 

The  Rev.  William  Fowler  Vaill,  of  East  Haddam,  was  or- 
dained pastor  December  21,  1808.  Mr.  Vaill  was  a  graduate 
(1866),  of  Yale  college,  and  fitted  quite  a  number  of  young 
men  for  that  institution.  In  April  20,  1820,  Mr.  V.  being  in- 
vited to  take  charge  of  the  missionary  station  at  Union,  in 
Arkansas  territory,  he  accepted  and  removed  there  soon  after, 
where  he  remained  until  1833,  wnen  ^e  returned  to  the  east 
and  preached  in  various  portions  of  the  state.  He  died  at 


Il8  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Wethersfield,  III.,  in  the  year  1865.  During  his  ministry  here 
and  previous  to  the  ordination  of  his  successor  thirty-four  per- 
sons were  admitted  to  the  church. 

The  Rev.  Zolva  Whitmore  was  settled  here  Sept.  5,  1821. 
He  was  a  native  of  Rutland,  Vermont,  and  a  graduate  of  Union 
college.  [At  his  own  request,  in  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  his 
ministry,  he  was  dismissed  August  31,  1846.  He  removed  first 
to  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  thence  to  Vermont,  where  he  was 
in  charge  of  a  church  for  two  years,  thence  to  North  Becket, 
and  Chester  Factory,  Mass.,  where  he  died  Aug.  5,  1867. 

After  Mr.  Whitmore's  dismissal  the  church  was  supplied 
until  January  1848,  by  Messrs.  Hoadley,  Gurnsey,  Grosvenor, 
Taylor  and  Smith. 

Rev.  John  L.  Ambler,  was  the  acting  pastor  during  the  year 
1848.  He  was  followed  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Eddy  (Yale  col- 
lege, 1832),  as  acting  pastor  from  January  1849,  to  March 
1851.  Mr.  Eddy  took  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in 
1851,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  that  profession  in 
Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Rev.  P'osdic  Harrison  was  the  acting  pastor  from  November, 
1851  to  November  1854.  During  his  ministrations  there  was 
a  revival  in  the  summer  of  1853,  anc^  eleven  were  added  to  the 
church  by  profession. 

Rev.  Abraham  C.  Baldwin  (Bowdoin  college,  1827,  and  A. 
M.  of  Yale  college  1843),  acte^  as  pastor  from  December  10, 
1854,  to  October  28,  1855.  During  his  service  the  church 
edifice  was  repaired  and  the  interior  entirely  renewed  at  a  cost 
of  $1,100. 

Rev.  Thomas  Rice  Dutton  (Yale  college,  1837),  was  the 
acting  pastor  from  December  9,  1855,  to  May  I,  1859.  His 
ministrations  were  zealous  and  faithful,  and  thirty-seven  were 
added  to  the  membership  of  the  church,  twenty-four  of  whom 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


were  the  result  of  a  revival  during  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1858. 

Rev.  Richard  Crittenden  (Oberlin  college,)  acted  as  supply 
from  July  16,  1859,  was  ordained  pastor  August  I,  1860,  re- 
maining until  April,  17,  1864,  and  was  dismissed  September, 
1864.  Mr.  C.  was  very  active  in  the  Sunday  school. 

Rev.  William  Howard  acted  as  supply  from  August,  1864, 
was  installed  December  20,  1865,  and  dismissed  September, 
1875,  when  he  removed  to  Northfield,  Litchfield  county,  Conn. 
His  ministry  was  exceedingly  acceptable  to  his  people  and  emi- 
nently successful. 

Rev.  William  B.  Curtis  (Yale  college,  1840),  has  been 
acting  pastor  since  July,  1875. 

A  revival  took  place  in  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1808, 
while  Mr.  Vaill  was  laboring  here  as  a  candidate,  which  was 
followed  by  the  admission  of  thirty-eight  persons  to  the  church 
in  that  and  the  two  following  years.  A  similar  revival  in  1820- 
21,  was  followed  by  the  admission  of  seventeen.  From  the  re- 
vival of  1827  an  equal  number  was  received,  and  from  that  of 
1831,  eleven  persons. 

The  following  Parsons  have  been  chosen  Deacons  of  this 

Church. 


Names. 

Time  of  Election. 

Deaths. 

Age. 

George  Bartlett,  

probably  Tune,  I72C 

Sept.  2i,  i?6c. 

67. 

William  Dudley,  

probably  Tune,  I72C. 

Feb.  28,  1761, 

77. 

Theophilus  Rossiter,  Esq.,  

October  5,    1760, 

Aoril  o.  1  77  1. 

7C. 

Simeon  Chittenden,  Esq.,  

October  25,   1760,   . 

Aoril  12    I77O. 

74. 

Selah  Dudley,  

John  Bartlett, 

Feb.,   1763,   

Oct.  14,  1797, 
March  13,  1801, 

84. 

66 

Robert  Griffine,  . 

Nov.  6,  1796, 

77. 

Toel  Rose,.  .                               .... 

March  27,  1831, 

01. 

Levi  Chittenden,  

Nov.  II,  i8ic. 

77. 

Timothy  Rossiter,    
Benjamin  Rossiter,  
Wm.  R.  Collins,  
Samuel  W.  Dudley,  

June  14,  1810,  .... 
Nov.  14,  1825,  .... 
Dec.  n,  1825.  .  .  . 
May,  1856  

Feb.  26,  1835, 
Nov.  zo,  1866, 

So. 

76. 

John  R.  Rossiter,  

May,  1856  

I2O  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

The  members  of  this  society  have  (1838)  a  fund  for  the 
support  of  the  gospel  of  about  $1700,  derived  from  the  sale  of 
lands  given  by  the  proprietors  of  lands  in  Guilford. 

In  1838,  of  the  one  hundred  and  five  families  in  North  Guil- 
ford, sixty-one  were  Congregationalists  (six  of  which  attended 
worship  in  Northford,  a  parish  of  North  Branford,  as  being 
more  convenient),  thirty-two  Episcopalians,  four  Methodists,  and 
the  rest  of  no  denomination. 

A  number  of  residents  and  natives  of  Guilford  have  been  dis- 
tinguished in  civil  life,  and  brief  biographical  sketches  of  a  few 
of  these  are  herewith  appended. 

Samuel  Disborough, x  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town  and 
one  of  the  seven  pillars  of  the  church  at  its  first  formation  here, 
has  been  already  mentioned  as  a  magistrate,  and  as  holding  courts 
in  the  town  with  three  or  four  deputies  appointed  by  the  freemen 
for  that  purpose.  He  was  associated  with  Gov.  Eaton,  Gov. 
Leete  and  other  distinguished  men  in  forming  and  establishing 
the  combination  and  government  of  the  New  Haven  colony 
in  1643,  and,  while  in  this  country  as  one  of  its  magistrates  and 
the  civil  father  of  one  of  its  towns,  shared  some  of  its  highest 
honors.  Upon  his  return  to  England  with  Mr.  Whitfield,  says 
President  Stiles  in  his  History  of  the  Judges  (p.  35)  quoting  from 
Noble,  he  became  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the  revenues, 
and  in  the  same  year  represented  the  city  of  Edinburgh  in 
parliament  at  a  council  held  at  Whitehall,  May  4,  1655.  He 
was  appointed  one  of  the  nine  counsellors  of  the  kingdom  of 
Scotland,  and  the  same  year  keeper  of  the  great  seal  of  that 


[x  Samuel  Disborow  was  born  on  the  manor  of  Ettisley  in  Cambridgeshire,  on  the 
30th  of  November,  1619,  and  was  the  third  surviving  son  of  James  Disborow, 
Esquire,  and  a  younger  brother  of  the  famous  Major  General  John  Disborow  who 
married  Jane  Cromwell  a  sister  of  the  Lord  Protector  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  was  a 
member  of  several  parliaments  and  one  of  the  judges  appointed  to  try  Charles  I. 
Mr.  Samuel  Disborow  studied  law  with  his  brother  John  Disborow,  who  in  early  life 
was  a  barrister.] 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  121 

nation  and  allowed  .£2000  annually.  The  year  following  he 
was  returned  a  member  of  the  British  parliament  for  the  sheriff- 
dom  of  Midlothian,  and  was  continued  in  all  his  employments 
under  the  Protector  Richard.  Burton,  who  kept  a  diary  of  the 
doings  of  Cromwell's  parliament,  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
makes  frequent  and  honorable  mention  of  Samuel  Disborough 
as  one  of  the  most  active  and  talented  members  of  that  body. 
"  This  shows  him,"  says  President  Stiles,  "  a  man  of  political 
abilities  to  sustain  so  many  and  such  high  betrustments  with  the 
reputation  and  acceptance  with  which  he  discharged  them." 

William  Leete,  also  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  and 
one  of  the  pillars  of  Mr.  Whitfield's  church,  received  the 
highest  honors  which  the  colony  of  New  Haven,  and,  after  the 
union  of  that  colony  with  Connecticut,  which  the  united  gov- 
ernment, could  give.  He  was  bred  to  the  law  in  England,  and 
served  as  a  clerk  for  a  considerable  time  in  the  bishop's  court 
at  Cambridge,  where  observing  the  oppressions  and  cruelties 
then  practiced  on  the  conscientious  and  virtuous  Puritans,  he 
was  led  to  examine  more  thoroughly  their  doctrines  and  practice, 
and  eventually  to  become  a  Puritan  himself  and  to  give  up  his 
office.  Coming  over  to  New  England  with  Mr.  Whitfield,  he 
enjoyed  his  religion  and  had  an  opportunity  to  serve  his  brethren 
in  his  station,  for  which  his  ability  and  education  happily  fitted 
him.  From  1651  until  1658,  he  was  the  magistrate  of  the  town, 
and  one  of  the  court  of  magistrates  for  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
New  Haven  colony  for  a  much  longer  period.  In  1658  he  was 
chosen  deputy  governor  and  continued  in  that  office  until  1661, 
when  he  was  elected  governor  of  the  colony,  which  dignity  he 
held  until  the  union  with  Connecticut  in  1664.  Upon  this 
union  he  was  elected  magistrate,  and  then  in  Connecticut  from 
1669  until  1676,  deputy  governor,  when  he  was  chosen  governor, 
which  office  he  held  until  his  death.  "  For  forty  years,"  says 
Doctor  Trumbull,  "  he  was  magistrate,  deputy  governor  or 
16 


122  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

governor  of  one  or  other  of  the  colonies.  In  both  colonies  he 
presided  in  times  of  the  greatest  difficulty,  yet  always  conducted 
himself  with  integrity  and  wisdom  so  as  to  meet  the  public  ap- 
probation." He  was  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  county  court 
of  New  Haven  county,  after  its  formation  in  1664,  and  held 
that  office  until  his  removal  to  Hartford  on  his  election  to  the 
office  of  governor.  After  that  time  he  remained  there  managing 
the  affairs  of  the  government  of  the  whole  colony  until  his 
death,  April  16,  1683,  full  of  days  and  full  of  honors.  His 
tombstone  was  discovered  somewhere  about  1830  at  Hartford, 
on  removing  some  earth  that  had  been  allowed  to  accumulate  in 
the  ancient  burial  yard  of  that  place. 

Governor*"Leete  left  a  numerous  family  in  Guilford,  where 
many  of  his  descendants  still  remain,  while  others  have  removed 
to  other  parts  of  the  state.  His  eldest  son  John,  who  died 
Nov.  25,  1692,  aged  about  fifty-three,  is  said  to  have  been  the 
first  white~person  born  in  Guilford.  Governor  Leete's  first 
wife  came  from  England  with  him.  Her  name  was  Anna  Leete. 
The  stone'  cellar  in  which  the  governor  kindly  secreted  and 
nourished  Genls.  Whalley  and  Goffe,  so  particularly  described 
in  President  Stiles' s  History  of  the  Judges  '  still  remains.  It  is 


[x  "  The  governor's  house  was  situated  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  rivulet  (West 
river)  that  passes  through  Guilford.  He  had  a  store  on  the  bank  a  few  rods  from 
his  house,  and  under  it  a  cellar  remaining  to  this  day,  and  which  I  lately  (1793) 
visited  and  viewed  with  attention.  It  is,  as  I  have  said,  still  in  the  general  and 
concurrent  tradition  at  Guilford,  that  the  judges  were  concealed  and  lodged  in  this 
cellar  several  nights,  most  say  three  days  and  three  nights,  when  the  governor  was 
afraid  to  see  them.  A  daughter  of  Governor  Leete  afterwards  married  in  New  Haven 
to  Mr.  (John)  Trowbridge.  It  is  an  anecdote,  still  preserved  in  the  family,  that  she 
used  often  to  say,  when  she  was  a  little  girl,  these  good  men  lay  concealed  some  time 
in  this  cellar  of  her  father's  store ;  but  that  she  did  not  know  it  till  afterwards  :  that 
she  well  remembered  that  at  the  time  of  it,  she  and  the  rest  of  the  children  were 
strictly  prohibited  from  going  near  that  store  for  some  days,  and  that  she  and  the 
children  wondered  at  it  and  could  not  conceive  the  reason  of  it  at  that  time,  though 
they  knew  afterwards.  Tradition  says  that  they  were  however  constantly  supplied 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

on  the  west  side  of  the  borough,  near  the  bank  of  the  West 
river,  and  on  the  property  formerly  owned  by  Timothy  Stone, 
Esq.,  and  now  by  his  daughters.  The  site  is  now  covered  by 
a  barn  and  other  out  buildings. 

Andrew  Leete,  Esquire,  son  of  the  preceding,  possessed  a 
liberal  portion  of  the  excellencies  of  his  father.  He  was  early 
appointed  commissioner  or  justice  of  the  peace,  and  had  principal 
concern  in  managing  the  affairs  of  the  town.  In  1677  he  was 
elected  an  assistant  in  the  colony,  and  annually  re-elected  until 
his  death  Oct.  31,  1702.  He  is  said  to  have  had  the  principal 
agency  in  recovering  the  charter  of  the  colony,  during  the  time 
Major  Andross  usurped  the  government,  and  that  he  kept  it  for 
a  season  in  his  house.  He  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  infirm 
health,  most  of  his  life  subject  to  fits  of  epilepsy,  which  im- 
paired his  usefulness.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  one  of 
the  justices  of  the  county  court  for  New  Haven  county.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Jordan,  Esq.,  one  of  the  princi- 
pal settlers,  and,  after  the  return  of  his  father-in-law  to  England 
about  1660,  occupied  his  estate  and  dwelling-house,  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  green. 

Josiah  Rossiter,  son  of  Doctor  Bryan  Rossiter,  for  many 
years  town  clerk  and  one  of  the  principal  men  in  the  town,  was 
elected  an  assistant  in  1 70 1,  and  annually  reelected  to  that  station 
afterwards  until  May,  1711.  He  died  January  31,  1716. 

Abraham  Fowler,  Esq.,  sustained  the  same  station  as  Mr. 
Rossiter  from  1712  to  1720,  and  was  also  one  of  the  justices 


with  victuals  from  the  governor's  table  sent  to  them  by  the  maid,  who  long  after 
was  wont  to  glory  in  it,  that  she  had  seen  those  heavenly  men."  Sti  let's  History  of  the 
Judges,  page  92.  The  time  of  this  concealment  must  have  been  between  June  n, 
and  ao,  1660.  "  Here  and  at  Mr.  Rossiter's  they  spent  above  a  week,  while  it  was 
deliberated  whether  the  surrendery  could  or  could  not  be  put  off,  or  at  least  deferred. 
Finally,  their  friends  would  not  suffer  them  to  surrender  at  this  time  ;  and  it  was 
concluded  that  they  should  retire  again  to  their  concealment." —  Stiles' s  Hist.,  page 
45-] 


I24 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


of  the  county  court  for  New  Haven  county,  in  which  position 
he  was  distinguished  for  his  firmness  and  good  judgment.  He 
died  December  5,  1720. 

Abraham  Bradley  3d,  who  was  at  one  time  deputy  post  master 
general,  was  born  in  Guilford,  December  II,  1731.  In  a  letter 
written  to  Medad  Stone  (who  kept  the  stage  house  and  post 
office  on  the  public  square),  dated  Washington  city,  August  1 5, 
1 8 12,  he  states  that  he  had  been  born  at  the  lower  end  of 
Crooked  lane,  had  been  a  resident  in  six  different  states  of 
the  Union,  and  had  then  resided  a  little  more  than  a  year  in 
Washington.  He  also  encloses  some  verses,  which  are  as 
follows : 

AN  ADDRESS  TO  GUILFORD. 

How  shall  I  sing  with  becoming  grace 
The  high  respect  due  to  my  native  place  ? 
To  thee,  O  Guilford,  gratitude  is  due, 
In  thee,  at  first  the  vital  air  I  drew ; 
In  thee  I  first  received  the  visual  ray, — 
Therefore  to  thee  I  will  due  homage  pay. 

The  keen  sensations  nature  has  designed 
To  form  impressions  on  the  tender  mind, — 
The  childish  sports,  the  pure  and  playful  joys 
Which  give  a  relish  to  the  taste  of  boys, 
Leave  grateful  traits  which  to  the  man  adheres, 
Inseparable  through  revolving  years, 
And  which,  though  busy  life  may  disengage, 
Again  recur  in  the  decline  of  age. 

The  Indians  there  had  unknown  ages  dwelt  — 
Men,  who  the  softer  passions  seldom  felt, 
To  whom  were  arts  and  sciences  unknown; 
Who  knew  no  common  interest  nor  their  own. 
Wild  flesh,  wild  fruits,  their  food,  but  oft'ner  fish 
And  clams  and  oysters  their  more  common  dish, 
Skins  of  wild  animals  for  raiment  served; 
They  oft  with  cold  and  oft  with  hunger  starved. 

These  sons  of  nature  held  the  right  of  soil, 
On  which,  however,  they  disdained  to  toil ; 
Void  of  invention,  iron  they  had  none  — 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  125 

Their  edge  tools  all  were  made  of  shell  or  stone. 
Menunkatuck  was  the  Indian  name, 
When  to  the  English  they  transferred  their  claim, 
On  contract  fair  their  right  they  did  assign, 
September,  sixteen  hundred,  thirty-nine. 

Pleased  with  the  site,  they  now  enjoyed  the  purchase, 
Cleared  up  the  ground,  built  fences,  houses,  churches, 
Soon  did  the  savage  howl  and  yelling  cease, 
Succeeded  by  religion,  love,  and  peace, 
And  Vis  among  their  heirs  and  their  assigns 
Now  happiness  resides  and  virtue  shines. 

The  rapid  changes  of  the  human  race 

Every  day  and  moment  taking  place, 

Must,  while  a  full  half  century  has  run  down, 

Make  me  a  stranger  in  my  native  town, 

For  my  coevals  now  are  chiefly  gone, 

To  distant  bournes,  perhaps  to  worlds  unknown, 

Except  some  few  whom  fate  denied  the  boon 

Of  a  removal  into  Heaven  so  soon. 

Meanwhile  a  younger  race,  a  different  age, 
Has  risen  up  to  occupy  the  stage. 
Yet  oft  I  think  of  Guilford  with  delight, 
And  feel  full  half  way  there  while  this  I  write. 

Though  edifices  elegant  and  new 

Present  themselves  to  the  spectator's  view, 

A  nd  tho'  the  old  are  levelled  with  the  ground 

And  rarely  any  vestige  to  be  found, 

And  tenements  and  tenants  change  their  name, 

The  ancient  landscape  still  must  be  the  same. 

E'en  now  my  recollection  brings  to  view 

The  scenes  long  past  and  people  once  I  knew, 

Their  simple  manners  and  their  social  glee, 

Philanthropy  to  all,  good  will  to  me, 

Morals  humane,  pacific,  mild  and  just, 

(Tho'  some  too  much  to  doubtful  faith  might  trust), 

Virtues,  in  which  they  might  indulge  more  pride 

Than  those  of  any  other  spot  on  earth  beside, 

And  tho*  the  produce  of  their  grav'ly  soil 

But  ill  renumerates  the  farmer's  toil, 

Economy  and  commerce  lend  their  aid 

So  they're  as  blest  as  under  Eden's  shade. 


126  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


CROOKED  LANE. 

And  still  I  feel  an  impulse  to  maintain 

The  ancient  honors  of  old  Crooked  Lane, 

A  people  whom  the  arts  ne'er  taught  to  stray 

Among  the  stars  or  climb  the  milky  way. 

Here  enterprise  was  ever  a  recluse, 

And  dormant  slept  the  genius  and  the  muse. 

Here  proud  ambition  never  fixed  his  throne 

And  maddening  politics  were  little  known. 

The  gilded  demons,  wealth,  and  power,  and  fame, 

To  them  were  but  the  whistling  of  a  name. 

No  flags  have  they  in  distant  seas  unfurled, 

Nor  sought  the  subjugation  of  a  world, 

Content  at  home  as  foxes  in  their  holes, 

Nor  pride  nor  envy  fired  their  souls, 

But  when  tobacco  smoke  perfumed  their  noses, 

Felt  wise  as  Solomon,  and  meek  as  Moses. 

In  erudition  sought  no  greater  glory 

Than  of  some  witch  to  hear  and  tell  the  story. 

The  way  their  fathers  trod,  supinely  bred  to  tread 

Without  enquiring  to  what  goal  it  led. 

Honesty,  banished  from  the  proud  and  great, 

Set  up  in  Crooked  Lane  her  humble  seat. 

'Tis  thought  they  stood  as  good  a  chance  for  Heaven 

As  Mary  Magdalene  purged  of  her  seven. 

When  now  Thanksgiving  takes  her  yearly  circuit, 
It  is  a  merry  farce  the  way  they  work  it. 
Molasses  they  must  have  and  quick  in  search  on't 
Each  with  his  jug  runs  nimbly  to  the  merchant  5 
And  if  this  noblest  luxury  can  be  had 
Their  eyes  are  lively  and  their  face  how  glad  ! 
If  not  they  must  adjourn  for  that  same  reason 
The  giving  thanks  unto  another  season. 
For  pies  and  puddings  sweet,  as  well  as  tarts, 
The  great  incentives  are  to  thankful  hearts, 
And  they  were  never  brought  to  such  a  pass  as 
To  celebrate  this  feast  without  molasses. 

A  sunday  coat  held  good,  unnumbered  years, 
However  oft  meanwhile  the  fashion  veers : 
May  be  transferred,  from  father  down  to  son, 
As  long  as  grass  shall  grow,  or  water  run. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  127 

'Tis  on  this  spot,  this  paradise  of  earth, 

(Pardon  my  arrogance),  I  boast  my  birth. 

Though  this  indeed  it  were  not  need  confest, 

For  so,  who  reads  these  lines  would  sure  have  guessed. 

Now  what  I  write  I  let  my  readers  know 

Relates  to  facts  of  seventy  years  ago. 

If  any  change  for  better  or  for  worse 

Has  since  occurred  —  pray  what  is  that  to  us  — 

Some  rising  bard  may  in  a  fitting  strain, 

The  present  state  depict  of  Crooked  Lane. 

James  Hooker,  Esq.,  first  judge  of  the  court  of  probate  for 
the  district  of  Guilford,  was  a  native  of  Farmington  and  re- 
moved hereabout  1700.  He  married  the  daughter  of  William 
Leete,  Jr.,  and  held  a  distinguished  place  in  the  esteem  of  the 
people  until  his  death,  March  12,  1740. 

Colonel  Samuel  Hill  was  a  native  of  this  town,  and  during  his 
life  time  one  of  the  principal  regulators  of  its  affairs.  He  was 
chosen  town  clerk  in  1717,  and  was  afterwards  made  clerk  of 
the  proprietors  of  the  town  until  his  death.  In  1720,  at  the 
formation  of  the  probate  court  for  Guilford  district,  he  was 
chosen  clerk,  and,  on  the  death  of  Judge  Hooker,  in  1740, 
judge  of  that  court,  which  position  he  held  until  his  death  in 
1752.  He  was  also,  for  a  considerable  period,  judge  of  the 
county  court  for  the  county  of  New  Haven,  and  one  of  the 
principal  magistrates  of  the  town.  He  always  sustained  a  high 
character  for  integrity,  uprightness,  firmness  and  perhaps  stern- 
ness of  principle.  His  son  Nathaniel  Hill  and  grandson  Henry 
Hill,  were  both  eminent  men  in  the  town,  county  and  state, 
and  each  in  his  day  was  clerk  and  afterwards  judge  of  the  pro- 
bate court  for  this  district,  for  a  great  length  of  time. 

Nathaniel  Hill,  Col.  Timothy  Stone,  Gen.  Andrew  Ward, 
Nathaniel  Rossiter,  and  Nathaniel  Griffing,  Esq.,  were  justices 
of  the  county  court  for  the  county  of  New  Haven  for  con- 
siderable periods,  and  for  many  successive  years  enjoyed  the 
highest  honors  in  the  gift  of  the  town. 


128  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Abraham  Baldwin  was  a  native  of  North  Guilford.  He 
graduated  in  Yale  college,  1772,  and  was  a  tutor  from  1775 
until  1779.  His  attention  was  first  directed  to  theology  ;  he 
became  a  candidate  for  the  ministry,  and  was  a  chaplain  in  the 
Continental  army  through  several  of  the  last  years  of  the  revo- 
lutionary war.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  at  the  request  of  a 
friend,  Gen.  Greene,  he  removed  to  the  state  of  Georgia,  where 
he  relinquished  the  ministry  and  entered  the  profession  of  law, 
in  which  he  rose  to  great  eminence  as  also  in  his  civil  career. 
His  talents  and  patriotism  were  too  conspicuous  to  remain 
unnoticed  even  among  strangers.  He  was  soon  elected  a 
representative  to  the  legislature  of  his  adopted  state,  and  in 
1784,  a  member  of  the  old  congress,  continuing  in  that  situation 
until  the  national  constitution  superseded  the  system  of  govern- 
ment then  in  existence.  He  was  a  distinguished  member  of  the 
convention  which  formed  the  present  constitution  of  the  United 
States  and,  upon  the  organization  of  the  new  government,  was 
chosen  a  member  of  congress  under  the  same,  and  so  continued 
without  interruption  until  he  was  promoted  by  the  citizens  of 
the  state  to  a  more  exalted  station,  being  chosen  member  of  the 
United  States  senate,  in  which  office  he  continued  until  his 
death,  March  4,  1807,  at  the  city  of  Washington,  in  the  53d 
year  of  his  age,  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness  and  surrounded 
with  honors.  It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance,  and  an  instance 
of  assiduity  almost  without  a  parallel  that,  during  his  long  con- 
gressional life,  he  was  never  known  to  be  absent  a  single  hour 
during  the  session  of  congress,  on  account  of  indisposition  or  any 
other  cause,  until  the  week  preceding  his  death.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  industry  and  talents,  and  his  distinguished  patriotism, 
learning  and  public  services  shed  an  honor  on  his  native  state  as 
well  as  on  that  of  his  adoption.  In  1785,  he  was  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  system  of  education  then  adopted  in  Georgia,  and 
was  the  founder  of  a  college  at  Athens,  in  that  state,  of  which  he 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  129 

was  president  for  some  years.  He  was  a  man  of  extensive 
benevolence,  living  in  an  eventful  and  important  period  of  our 
history  and  filling  such  high  and  responsible  stations  in  the 
forming  and  maturing  of  our  general  government  as  well  as  of 
the  government  and  literature  of  Georgia,  he  will  descend  to 
posterity  among  the  names  of  the  most  illustrious  men  of  our 
country.  Baldwin  county,  including  Milledgeville  the  capital 
of  Georgia,  derived  its  name  from  him. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Johnson,  D.D.,  son  of  Samuel  Johnson 
and  grandson  of  William  Johnson,  one  of  the  principal  settlers 
of  the  town,  was  a  native  of  Guilford,  being  born  Oct.  14,  1696. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  college  in  1714,  and  was  tutor  in 
the  same  institution  from  1716  to  1719.  In  1720  he  was  or- 
dained at  West  Haven,  the  south  parish  of  Orange  in  this  state, 
being  the  first  minister  settled  over  that  church.  In  1722  he 
declared  for  Episcopacy,  and  was  distinguished  as  the  first  con- 
vert to  that  denomination  in  Connecticut.  Soon  after,  and  during 
the  same  year,  he  was  dismissed  from  his  charge  and  sailed  for 
England  in  company  with  Mr.  Cutler,  president  of  Yale  college 
and  Mr.  Browne  one  of  its  tutors,  together  with  Mr.  Wetmore 
of  New  Haven,  where  they  obtained  ordination  according  to  the 
Episcopal  form.  Mr.  Johnson  returned  to  Connecticut  and 
was  employed  by  "  the  society  for  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel 
in  foreign  parts "  as  the  missionary  to  Stratford  in  this  state. 
He  entered  the  field  of  labor  assigned  him  in  1723,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  same  until  his  election  to  the  presidency  of  King's 
(now  Columbia)  college  in  the  city  of  New  York,  in  1754, 
preaching  to  the  Episcopalians  of  Stratford  and  its  vicinity,  and 
occasionally  in  his  native  town.  He  discharged  the  duties  of 
president  of  King's  college  from  1754  until  1763,  when  he  re- 
signed and  returned  to  Stratford,  resuming  his  former  charge 
and  continuing  in  the  same  until  his  death  in  his  chair,  epiphany, 
January  6,  1772,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age.  Dr. 
17 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Johnson  was  distinguished  for  his  literary  and  popular  talents 
and  acquirements,  was  genteel  and  engaging  in  his  manners,  and 
of  great  personal  worth.  It  is  said  by  a  gentleman  of  his  church 
that  the  whole  course  of  Dr.  Johnson's  life,  was  a  practical 
commentary  on  the  beneficial  influence  of  a  firm  adherence  to 
principles. 

Thomas  Chittenden,  the  first  governor  of  Vermont,  was  also 
a  native  of  this  town.  His  father's  name  was  Ebenezer  Chit- 
tenden, grandson  of  William  Chittenden,  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  the  town.  His  father  removed  to  East  Guilford  in  the  early 
settlement  of  that  town.  He  married  the  daughter  of  Samuel 
Johnson  and  sister  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  of  Stratford. 
His  eldest  son  Ebenezer  Chittenden  2d,  who  settled  in  New 
Haven,  possessed  great  mechanical  genius.  He  invented  a 
machine  for  bending  and  cutting  card  teeth  with  a  single  move- 
ment, and  one  or  two  other  curious  machines.  The  late  cele- 
brated Eli  Whitney  had  an  exalted  opinion  of  his  skill  and 
judgment  as  a  mechanic.  Thomas  Chittenden,  brother  of  the 
last  mentioned,  was  born  in  1730  and,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  removed  to  Salisbury  in  this  state,  where  he  remained 
until  1773,  when  he  removed  a  second  time  to  Williston  on 
Onion  river  in  Vermont.  While  in  Salisbury,  although  he  had 
enjoyed  only  the  advantages  of  a  common  education,  his  good 
sense  secured  him  the  esteem  and  honors  of  his  fellow-citizens, 
who  repeatedly  elected  him  representative  to  the  legislature, 
and  from  whom  he  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  and 
commissions  in  the  militia  of  that  region  through  the  various 
ranks  up  to  the  command  of  a  regiment.  After  his  removal 
from  Salisbury  to  Williston,  the  troubles  and  dangers  connected 
with  the  revolutionary  war  rendered  it  necessary  for  him  again 
to  remove.  He  purchased  an  estate  at  Arlington,  where  he 
resided  until  1787,  when  he  returned  to  Williston,  where  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  When  the  general  convention 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

was  held  at  Westminster,  January,  1777,  which  declared  Ver- 
mont an  independent  state,"  he  was  the  only  person  among  the 
members,  who  had  ever  before  sat  in  the  capacity  of  a  legislator. 
He  was  on  the  committee  to  report  to  congress,  the  proceedings 
of  the  inhabitants,  and  to  solicit  the  admission  of  their  district 
into  the  American  union.  The  next  year  he  was  elected  governor 
of  the  state,  and  was  re-elected  each  succeeding  year,  except  one, 
until  his  death,  August  24,  1797,  in  the  sixty-eight  year  of  his 
age.  During  the  early  years  of  his  administration  the  state  had 
to  contend  with  great  difficulties.  It  was  threatened  with  in- 
vasion by  the  British  forces  from  Canada,  and  its  independence 
was  not  yet  acknowledged  by  congress.  He  had  the  wisdom  to 
pursue  a  course  of  measures,  which  saved  the  state  from  inva- 
sion and  secured  its  admission  finally  into  the  union.  At  the 
time  of  this  admission  General  Washington  observed,  in  1791, 
that  Gov.  Chittenden  deserved  well  of  his  country  for  the  wis- 
dom, patriotism  and  firmness  he  had  displayed  in  managing  the 
affairs  of  his  adopted  state. 

Governor  Chittenden  was  clearly  a  man  of  superior  natural 
abilities,  of  keen  discernment,  well  acquainted  with  human  na- 
ture, uncommonly  skilled  in  reconciling  discordant  parties,  and 
capable  of  forming  and  accomplishing  important  designs.  He 
was  a  great  blessing  to  Vermont  and  saw  it  rising  up  under  his 
government  from  a  small  beginning  to  strength  and  importance. 
He  was  kind  and  liberal  to  the  poor  and  distressed,  and  a  sincere 
professor  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  In  his  manners  and 
personal  appearance  he  was  rough,  blunt  and  uneducated,  yet 
his  bluntness  was  so  seasoned  with  frankness  and  benevolence 
that  he  was  universally  beloved  wherever  he  was  known,  and 
the  citizens  of  his  adopted  state  have  named  one  of  their  counties 
after  him  in  honor  of  his  memory. 

William  Todd,  Esquire,  was  a  native  of  East  Guilford.  He 
was  the  son  of  Doctor  Jonathan  Todd,  and  grandson  of  the 


IJ2  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Rev.  Jno.  Todd,  the  second  clergyman  of  that  parish.  He 
graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1806,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1809.  [After  practising  his  profession  for  almost  a  quarter 
of  a  century  inGuilford,  and  securing  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  his  fellow-citizens,  he  died  October  8,  1831.] 

[Fitz-Greene  Halleck,  the  poet,  was  born  in  Guilford, 
July  8,  1790.  His  father  was  Israel  Halleck,  who  married 
Mary  Eliot,  a  descendant  of  the  Rev.  John  Eliot,  "  the  apostle 
to  the  Indians."  He  began  to  make  verses  at  an  early  age,  and 
several  poems  are  still  extant  written  at  the  age  of  ten.  At 
fifteen  he  entered  a  store  in  Guilford  as  clerk,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1 8 1 1,  when  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  banking-house 
of  Jacob  Barker  in  New  York.  In  1822  he  made  a  visit  to 
Europe,  during  which  he  enjoyed  the  opportunity  of  meeting 
some  of  the  most  distinguished  literary  men  of  that  country. 
After  eighteen  years  connection  with  the  house  of  Barker,  he  left 
the  same  and  devoted  himself  for  a  short  time  solely  to  literary 
pursuits.  In  1832,  however,  he  entered  the  counting-house  of 
John  Jacob  Astor,  where  he  remained  for  sixteen  years,  until 
the  death  of  the  latter.  Mr.  Astor  left  Mr.  Halleck  an  annuity 
of  two  hundred  dollars,  to  which  his  son,  William  B.  Astor, 
added  a  gift  often  thousand  dollars.  Early  in  the  year  1849  ne 
returned  to  Gui'.ford,  and  made  it  his  home  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  Nov.  19,  1867.  For  many  years  his  residence 
was  the  house,  now  occupied  as  a  hotel,  opposite  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  green.  He  was  buried  in  Alderbrook  cemetery, 
and  a  monument,  erected  to  his  memory  by  his  friends  and  ad- 
mirers, was  formally  dedicated  July  8,  1869,  on  which  occasion 
an  oration  was  pronounced  by  Bayard  Taylor,  and  the  following 
original  sonnet  read  by  his  friend  and  brother-poet  George 
Hill: 

"In  thee  no  gorgeous  capital,  no  mart, 
Known  whereso'er  a  wave  rolls,  though  we  see, 
Yet  Guilford,  even  thine  no  humble  part 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

In  memory's  pageant  henceforth  e'er  shall  be. 
The  earth  that  heaps  thy  relics,  Halleck,  where 
No  name  more  famed  sepulchral  shaft  shall  bear. 
Full  many  a  pilgrim-band  from  many  a  shore 
Shall  wend  to  greet,  till  time  shall  be  no  more  ; 
The  spot,  henceforth  to  genius  ever  dear, 
Shall  gladly  hail  nor  quit  without  a  tear ; 
Some  strain  of  thy  imperishable  lyre 
Recall,  and,  ere  reluctant  he  retire, 
Exclaim,  *'  In  thee,  O  Fame's  lamented  son, 
A  thousand  poets  we  have  lost  in  one." 

In  1837,  Mr.  Halleck  received  the  honorary  degree  of  master 
of  arts  from  Columbia  college,  New  York. 

The  following  poem  written  for  the  occasion  by  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes,  was  also  read  by  Gen.  James  Grant  Wilson, 
through  whose  instrumentality  mainly  the  money  for  the  monu- 
ment had  been  collected  : 

Say  not  the  poet  dies  ! 

Though  in  the  dust  he  lies, 
He  cannot  forfeit  his  melodious  breath, 

Unsphered  by  envious  death ; 
Life  drops  the  voiceless  myriads  from  its  roll ; 

Their  fate  he  cannot  share, 

Who,  in  the  enchanted  air 

Sweet  with  the  lingering  strains  that  echo  stole, 
Has  left  his  dearer  self,  the  music  of  his  soul. 

We  o'er  his  tomb  may  raise 

Our  notes  of  feeble  praise, 
And  carve  with  pious  care  for  after  eyes 

The  stone  with  "  Here  he  lies  ;" 
He  for  himself  has  built  a  noble  shrine, 

Whose  walls  of  stately  rhyme 

Roll  back  the  tide  of  time. 

While  o'er  their  gates  the  gleaming  tablets  shine 
That  wear  his  name  inwrought  with  many  a  golden  line. 

Call  not  our  poet  dead, 

Though  on  his  turf  we  tread  ! 
Green  is  the  wreath  their  brows  so  long  have  worn, 

The  minstrels  of  the  morn, 
Who,  while  the  orient  burned  with  new  born  flame, 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Caught  that  celestial  fire 

And  struck  a  nation's  lyre  ! 

These  taught  the  western  winds  the  poet's  name ; 
Their's  the  first  opening  buds  the  maiden  flowers  of  fame. 

Count  not  our  poet  dead  ! 

The  stars  shall  watch  his  bed. 
The  rose  of  June  its  fragrant  life  renews, 

His  flushing  mound  it  strews, 
And  the  tuneful  throats  of  summer  swell 

With  trills  as  crystal  clear 

As  when  he  moved  the  ear 
Of  the  young  muse  that  haunts  the  wooded  dell 
With  songs  of  that  "  rough  land  "  he  loved  so  long  and  well. 

He  sleeps ;  he  cannot  die  ! 

As  evening's  long  drawn  sigh, 
Lifting  the  rose  leaves  on  his  peaceful  mound, 

Spreads  all  their  sweets  around, 
So  laden  with  his  song,  the  breezes  blow 

From  where  the  rustling  sedge 

Frets  our  rude  ocean's  edge 
To  the  smooth  sea  beyond  the  peaks  of  snow, 
His  soul  the  air  enshrines  and  leaves  but  dust  below. 

Halleck  was  the  first  American  poet,  to  whom  was  awarded 
the  honor  of  a  bronze  statue  in  a  public  place.  This  is  of 
heroic  size,  representing  him  seated,  holding  a  thin  roll  of  manu- 
script in  his  left  hand  and  a  pen  in  his  right.  It  was  presented 
to  the  city  of  New  York  by  some  of  Halleck's  admirers,  and 
occupies  a  prominent  position  in  the  Central  Park  near  the 
statues  of  Shakspeare  and  Sir  Walter  Scott.  The  ceremony 
of  its  unveiling  took  place  May  15,  1877,  when  the  venerable 
poet  William  Cullen  Bryant  presided,  and,  after  making  a  brief 
speech  full  of  pleasant  memories  of  his  old  companion,  intro- 
duced Gen.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  president  of  the  United 
States,  who  formally  presented  the  statue,  in  the  name  of  the 
subscribers,  to  the  city  of  New  York,  through  its  mayor,  Hon. 
Smith  Ely,  Jr.  A  eulogy  was  then  pronounced  by  William 
Allen  Butler,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  and  the  following  poem, 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  135 

written  for  the  occasion  by  John  Greenleaf  Whittier  of  Massa- 
chusetts, was  read  : 

Among  their  graven  shapes  to  whom 

Thy  civic  wreaths  belong, 
O,  city  of  his  love  !  make  room 

For  one  whose  gift  was  song. 

Not  his  the  soldier's  sword  to  wield, 

Nor  his  the  helm  of  state, 
Nor  glory  of  the  stricken  field, 

Nor  triumph  of  debate. 

In  common  ways,  with  common  men, 

He  served  his  race  and  time 
As  well  as  if  his  clerkly  pen 

Had  never  danced  to  rhyme. 

If,  in  the  thronged  and  noisy  mart, 

The  Muses  found  their  son, 
Could  any  say  his  tuneful  art 

A  duty  left  undone  ? 

He  toiled  and  sang ;  and  year  by  year 

Men  found  their  homes  more  sweet, 
And  through  a  tender  atmosphere 

Looked  down  the  brick-walled  street. 

The  Greek's  wild  onset  Wall  street  knew, 

The  Red  King  walked  Broadway ; 
And  Alnwick  Castle's  roses  blew 

From  palisades  to  bay. 

Fair  city  by  the  sea  !  upraise 

His  veil  with  reverent  hands  ; 
And  mingle  with  thy  own  the  praise 

And  pride  of  other  lands. 

Let  Greece  his  fiery  lyric  breathe 

Above  her  hero-urns  ; 
And  Scotland,  with  her  holly,  wreathe 

The  flower  he  culled  for  Burns. 

O,  stately  stand  thy  palace  walls, 

Thy  tall  ships  ride  the  seas  ; 
To-day  thy  poet's  name  recalls 

A  prouder  thought  than  these. 


136  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Not  less  thy  pulse  of  trade  shall  beat, 

Nor  less  thy  tall  fleets  swim, 
That  shaded  square  and  dusty  street 

Are  classic  ground  through  him. 

Alive,  he  loved,  like  all  who  sing, 

The  echoes  of  his  song ; 
Too  late  the  tardy  meed  we  bring, 

The  praise  delayed  so  long. 

Too  late,  alas  !  Of  all  who  knew 

The  living  man,  to-day 
Before  his  unveiled  face,  how  few 

Make  bare  their  locks  of  gray  ! 

Our  lips  of  praise  must  soon  be  dumb, 

Our  grateful  eyes  be  dim  ; 
O,  brothers  of  the  days  to  come, 

Take  tender  charge  of  him  ! 

New  hands  the  wires  of  song  may  sweep, 

New  voices  challenge  fame  j 
But  let  no  moss  of  years  o'er-creep 

The  lines  of  Halleck's  name. 

[George  Hill,  the  poet,  was  born  in  Guilford  Jan.  29, 
1796.  He  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1816,  was  afterwards 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  one  of  the  departments  in  Washington. 
In  1827  he  entered  the  navy  as  instructor  in  mathematics  and, 
during  his  term  of  service,  made  a  cruise  in  the  Mediterranean. 
On  his  return  to  the  United  States  he  was  appointed  librarian 
of  the  state  department.  Subsequently  he  was  appointed  United 
States  consul  for  the  southern  portion  of  Asia  Minor,  and,  on 
his  resignation  in  consequence  of  ill  health,  was  again  made  a 
clerk  in  one  of  the  departments  in  Washington.  He  resumed 
his  residence  in  Guilford,  about  1856,  and  died  December  15, 
1871.] 

Ralph  Dunning  Smith,  son  of  Richard  and  Lovine  (Hebert) 
Smith,  was  born  in  Southbury,  Conn.,  October  28,  1804.  On 
the  father's  side  he  was  a  descendant  of  John  Smith,  who  with 
his  wife  Grace  came  to  Milford  about  1640.  His  mother  was 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  IJ7 

a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Hebert,  of  Wyoming,  Pa.,  and  was 
born  at  Easton,  Pa.,  during  the  flight  of  her  mother'from  the 
great  massacre  at  Wyoming. 

He  was  fitted  for  college  at  the  Weston  (now  Easton)  aca- 
demy, under  the  superintendence  of  its  principal,  John  Hiram 
Lathrop,  LL.D.  He  graduated  at  Yale  in  1827,  in  a  class  of 
which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Horace  Bushnell,  N.  P.  Willis,  Judge 
Henry  Hogeboom  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  Adams,  the  Rev.  Dr« 
Theron  Baldwin  and  others,  whose  names  have  attained  a 
national  reputation,  were  honored  members. 

After  the  completion  of  his  collegiate  course  he  adopted  the 
profession  of  law  as  the  pursuit  most  congenial  to  his  tastes, 
and  prosecuted  his  studies  under  the  direction  of  the  Hon.  Ed- 
ward Hinman,  of  Southbury,  and  Heman  Birch,  Esq.,  of 
Brookfield,  completing  his  course  of  preparation  in  the  law 
school  attached  to  Yale  college,  then  under  the  care  of  Judges 
Daggett  and  Hitchcock.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  New 
Haven  in  1831,  and  in  November  of  the  same  year  located  in 
Guilford,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

During  the  probationary  period,  through  which  every  young 
professional  man  must  past,  he  occupied  himself  for  some  years 
in  teaching  a  select  school  in  the  place  of  his  adoption,  at  which 
some  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  his  state  were  prepared  for 
college. 

He  married,  October  1 3, 1 837,  Rachel  Stone  Seward,  daughter 
of  Amos  Seward,  of  Guilford,  who  is  left  to  mourn  his  loss. 
They  had  four  children,  viz :  Sarah  Spencer,  who  married  Dr. 
Lewis  H.  Steiner,  of  Frederick  city,  Md.  ;  Mary  D.,  who 
died  when  two  years  of  age  ;  Walter  Hebert  (Y.  C.  1863), 
died  Nov.  27,  1863,  and  Richard  Edward  (Y.  C.  1866),  died 
December  18,  1868. 

In  January,  1844,  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  probate 
court,  which  office  he  held  until  July  4,  1850,  filling  the  duties  of 
18 


Ij8  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

the  office  with  great  skill,  care  and  judgment.  In  1859  he  was 
elected  a  representative  of  the  town  of  Guilford  in  the  general 
assembly  of  Connecticut,  and  during  its  sessions  acted  as  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  judiciary,  and  as  a  member  of  other 
important  committees. 

41  From  1848  to  1854  he  was  engaged  in  chartering  and  con- 
ducting the  New  Haven  and  New  London  rail  road,  and  the 
New  London  and  Stonington  rail  road,  performing  several  years 
of  severe  and  continuous  labor  as  secretary,  treasurer,  director 
and  attorney  in  originating  and  building  these  roads,  and  in  the 
subsequent  management  thereof." 

Prior  to,  during  and  subsequent  to,  his  labors  in  connection 
with  these  rail  roads,  Judge  Smith  was  actively  engaged  in  the 
duties  of  his  profession,  acquiring  a  well  merited  reputation  as 
a  thorough  office  lawyer  and  a  sound  practitioner,  distinguished 
for  his  conscientious  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  clients  and 
for  his  hesitation  in  taking  charge  of  a  case  until  he  was  abso- 
lutely satisfied  of  its  justness.  Judge  Munson,  of  Seymour, 
spoke  of  him,  at  the  bar-meeting  called  in  honor  of  his  memory, 
as  one  "  who  knew  the  law  better  than  any  lawyer  within  the 
acquaintance  of  the  speaker,  as  a  walking  text-book,  who 
only  needed  to  be  reminded  of  the  principle  involved  in  a  case 
to  tell  at  once  its  name"  and  to  give  a  reliable  opinion  of  the 
same.  Another  colleague,  at  the  same  meeting,  spoke  of  him 
"  as  a  thoroughly  honest  lawyer,  preparing  his  case  with  great 
care  and  never  employing  questionable  means  or  using  ques- 
tionable efforts  to  secure  a  result  in  his  favor,"  and  of  "  the 
genial  qualities  which  made  his  counsel  and  pleasant  words  go 
deep  into  the  hearts  of  the  young  as  well  as  the  old."  Resolu- 
tions offered  by  Judge  Edward  R.  Landon,  a  former  student  of 
Judge  Smith,  were  adopted  by  the  same  meeting. 

But  although  devoted  to  the  study  and  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession  with  an  earnest  zeal  rarely  excelled  by  its  honored 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  139 

practitioners,  he  still  found  time  to  cultivate  the  fields  of  elegant 
literature,  history,  biography,  and  genealogical  research.  He 
studied  the  old  English  writers  with  a  zest  that  could  only  spring 
from  a  genuine  love  of  the  beautiful  and  true.  His  memory 
was  richly  stored  with  the  choicest  English  poetry,  which  was 
always  at  his  command  whenever  needed  for  illustration.  He 
took  great  pleasure  in  English  and  American  history,  and  his 
calm,  unprejudiced  mind  enabled  him  to  pronounce  exceedingly 
accurate  judgments  upon  the  lives  and  motives  of  whose  who 
had  figured  most  prominently  upon  their  pages.  But  his  love 
for  research  led  him  to  investigate  the  obscure  corners  and  nooks 
of  history  and  biography,  which  other  and  more  superficial  stu- 
dents were  in  the  habit  of  passing  by  unnoticed.  And  thus  he 
was  brought  into  the  fields  of  genealogical  research  by  a  sort  of 
inevitable  necessity.  Here,  however,  he  found  an  ample  scope 
for  the  exercise  of  his  habits  of  careful  research  and  untiring 
labor. 

Shortly  after  his  location  at  Guilford  he  was  attracted  by  the 
rich  materials  for  study  furnished  by  its  early  history,  and  begin- 
ning with  a  careful  study  of  its  early  records  from  1639,  he 
found  the  field  of  his  investigation  becoming  wider  and  wider 
as  his  untiring  spirit  zealously  pursued  its  labors.  Old  records, 
old  tombstones  and  monuments  were  favorite  subjects  for  study, 
indeed  everything  that  could  elucidate  its  history  became  of 
special  interest  to  the  enthusiastic  student.  Necessarily  his 
investigations  took  a  still  more  and  more  extensive  range  until 
everything  connected  with  the  genealogy  of  New  England  be- 
came attractive  to  his  inquiring  spirit,  and  his  shelves  began  to 
fill  up  with  books  devoted  to  local  and  family  history,  while  his 
manuscript  collections  increased  until  they  became  mines  of 
wealth  to  younger  investigators. 

Another  subject  of  special  interest  was  the  biography  of  the 
early  graduates  of  Yale  college.  To  this  he  devoted  himself 


140  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

with  great  care  and  painful  assiduity,  and  completed  a  series  of 
sketches  of  the  lives  of  the  same  extending  from  the  first  gradu- 
ate down  the  class  of  1767  inclusive. 

His  manuscripts  are  very  voluminous,  comprising:  (i)  A 
sketch  of  the  history  of  Guilford  with  the  genealogy  of  its  prin- 
cipal families.  This  would  probably  make  two  volumes  of  some 
600  pages  ;  (2)  A  Biographical  Record  of  the  Class  of  1827,  Yale 
College,  consisting  of  full  and  accurate  sketches  of  the  lives  of 
all  its  members ;  (3)  The  Biographical  Sketches  of  Yale  Graduates 
from  1702-1767  ;  (4)  A  catalogue  of  the  Connecticut  Election 
Sermons  ^(5)  Fragmentary  sketches  of  the  early  history  of  the 
First  and  Fourth  Congregational  Societies  of  Guilford,  etc.,  etc., 
etc.  Some  of  these  may  hereafter  be  put  in  a  more  permanent 
form  should  the  way  be  opened  for  their  publication. 

Judge  Smith  was  a  modest,  retiring  man,  avoiding  as  far  as 
possible  public  life  but  delighting  in  the  company  of  his  friends, 
the  genial  attractions  of  his  literary  and  professional  studies, 
and  in  imparting  information  from  his  richly  stored  memory  to 
any  seeker  after  knowledge.  Indeed  no  one  ever  approached 
him  with  an  appeal  for  aid  or  assistance,  whether  pecuniary, 
professional  or  literary,  without  obtaining  the  same  if  it  were  in 
his  power  to  furnish  it.  The  results  of  his  genealogical  labors 
he  delighted  to  impart  to  every  inquirer,  and  was  always  very 
happy  when  he  could  aid  a  brother  genealogist  in  his  researches. 
A  fellow-laborer  writes  that  he  was  the  most  generous  man  with 
his  collections  he  ever  met,  or  that  he  could  imagine  to  exist. 
And  another  closes  a  warm  eulogy  with  the  statement  that  he 
"  has  not  left  behind  him  any  one  so  conversant  with  the  general 
family  history  of  the  state." 

He  was  a  Congregationalist  from  choice  and  conviction,  and 
attached  to  the  First  church  of  Guilford,  but  his  religion  was 
of  that  catholic  nature  which  recognizes  those,  of  whatever  name, 
who  love  Jesus  Christ,  as  brethren.  The  loss  of  his  sons, 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  14! 

shortly  after  they  had  graduated  with  distinction,  and  when 
careers  of  great  usefulness  were  seemingly  before  them,  for  a 
while  detached  him  from  his  favorite  pursuits,  but  as  grand- 
children grew  up  around  him  he  learned  to  sympathize  in  all 
their  joys  and  sports,  and  he  again  resumed  his  former  studies 
with  some  of  the  ardor  he  had  shown  in  earlier  days. 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1874,  however,  he  gradually 
laid  by  his  favorite  pursuits,  and  seemed  to  suffer  from  symp- 
toms of  the  painful  disease  which  finally  terminated  his  earthly 
labors  on  the  nth  of  September.  On  the  I5th  his  funeral  was 
attended  by  a  large  concourse  of  his  fellow-townsmen,  who  felt 
that  they  had  lost  their  most  important  citizen,  and  by  many 
friends  and  professional  brethren  who  had  come  from  a  distance 
to  show  respect  to  his  memory.  The  Rev.  Leonard  Bacon, 
D.D.,  an  old  and  valued  friend,  pronounced  the  funeral  dis- 
course, after  which  the  remains  of  the  accomplished  scholar  and 
veteran  lawyer  were  deposited  in  the  Alderbrook  Cemetery, 
Guilford. —  From  the  N.  E.  Hist,  and  Gen.  Reg.  for  July,  1875. 

Centennial  Celebration,  July  4,  1876. 

[With  the  view  of  paying  respect  to  the  memory  of  its 
deceased  citizens  and  of  recalling  some  incidents  of  its  past  his- 
tory as  well  as  of  honoring  the  grand  event  which  gave  birth  to 
the  United  States,  July  4,  1776,  Guilford  held  a  celebration 
on  the  centennial  anniversary  of  the  nation.  This  was  largely 
attended  by  her  citizens  and  many  visitors  from  distant  parts  of 
the  country.  At  sun  rise  one  hundred  guns  were  fired,  as  a 
salute,  by  the  Guilford  Light  Battery,  Lieut.  Wm.  H.  Lee,  com- 
manding. At  nine  A.M.,  there  was  a  grand  procession  that 
moved  through  the  different  streets  of  the  village,  and  at  eleven 
A.M.,  the  special  exercises  of  the  day  were  held  on  the  Green, 
Judge  Edward  R.  Landon  in  the  chair  as  president  of  the  day. 


142  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

The  music  was  furnished  by  the  New  England  band,  composed 
of  citizens  of  the  town. 

The  exercises  consisted  of  the  reading  of  the  Proclamation  of 
the  president  of  the  United  States,  recommending  the  celebration 
of  the  day,  by  Rev.  John  Wilson,  Scripture  selections  by  Rev. 
Theodore  L.  Day,  prayer  by  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Banks,  address 
of  welcome  by  Rev.  Lorenzo  T.  Bennett,  D.D.,  reading  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  Gen.  E.  M.  Lee,  a  His- 
torical address  by  Dr.  Alvan  Talcott,  and  a  poem  by  Samuel 
W.  Loper  Esq.,  of  Durham.  After  an  intermission  of  an 
hour,  the  audience  was  called  upon  to  hear  brief  addresses  in 
response  to  sentiments  announced  from  the  stand :  that  to  the 
president  and  congress  of  the  United  States  "  was  responded  to  by 
Hon.  Simeon  B.  Chittenden,  representing  the  third  district 
of  the  state  of  New  York  in  congress,  to  "  the  state  of  Connec- 
ticut" by  Judge  H.  Lynde  Harrison,  to  "  the  town  of  Guil- 
ford  "  by  Judge  Robt.  E.  De  Forrest  of  Bridgeport,  to  "  the 
soldiers  and  statesmen  of  1776  "  by  Gen.  E.  M.  Lee,  and  that  to 
"  the  ladies "  by  Hon.  Lewis  H.  Steiner  of  Maryland.  A 
poem  by  Andrew  J.  Benton  was  then  read  by  Rev.  John  Wil- 
son, and  the  audience  was  dismissed  with  the  benediction  by 
Rev.  Henry  Robinson.  At  night  there  was  a  general  illumina- 
tion throughout  the  village,  and  fireworks  were  exhibited  on 
the  Green  and  in  the  grounds  of  some  of  the  citizens.] 

The  probate  court  for  the  district  of  Guilford  was  established, 
October  session,  1719,  being  one  of  the  first  districts  separated 
from  the  counties  in  this  state.  The  probate  of  wills,  etc.,  was 
made  in  the  particular  courts,  from  the  establishment  of  civil 
order  in  the  colony,  1643,  till  the  formation  of  the  county 
courts,  1666,  where  it  continued  until  the  probate  districts  were 
formed.  The  first  probate  district  for  Guilford  included  the 
towns  of  Guilford,  Branford  (except  Northford),  Killingworth 
and  Saybrook  (Durham  was  joined  with  Middletown,  Haddam 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  143 

and  a  part  of  Chatham  and  a  part  of  Berlin  in  forming  the  dis- 
trict of  Middletown  in  1752).  Killingworth  and  Saybrook 
were  set  off  in  1780,  into  the  district  of  Saybrook,  and  in  1834, 
Madison  (formerly  East  Guilford)  and  Killingworth  were  each 
formed  into  separate  districts,  which  left  the  probate  district  of 
Guilford  to  include  Branford,  Guilford  and  the  First  Society  of 
North  Branford,  from  which  Branford  was  set  off  as  a  separate 
probate  district  in  1850. 


I44 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


The  names  of  the  several  Judges  and  Clerks  are  as  follows: 


Date  of  appointment. 

Death  or  removal. 

Tames  Hooker  (Guilford),.    . 

.  .  May,  1720, 

.March    12,    1740. 

'752- 
...July  27,  1751. 
1752. 

Samuel  Hill,  clerk. 
Col.  Samuel  Hill   (Guilford),. 
Henry  Hill,  clerk,.  
Nathaniel  Hill,  clerk, 

June,  1740, 
June,  1740, 
•   I75i» 

Col.  Timothy  Stone  (Guilford), 
Nathaniel  Hill,  clerk, 

.  .  .  .Sept.  9,  1765. 

•   -     17^2, 

176$. 

Nathaniel  Hill  (Guilford), 

September,  1765, 

.  .  .Nov.  1  6,  1771. 
1780. 

Samuel  Hill,  clerk. 
Aaron    Elliott  (Killingworth), 
Ebenezer  Parmele  Jr.,  clerk,. 
John  Elliott,  clerk,  
Samuel  Barker  (Branford),.  .  . 
Elizur  Barker,  clerk 

June.  i77z. 

June,  1772, 
Feb.,  1780, 
1780 

Feb.,  1780. 

.  .  .Aug.  22,    1780. 

.  .December,  1781. 

...    ..April,  1782. 

.  1780. 

John  Elliott   clerk 

1810. 

Col.  Edward  Russel  (Branford), 

1782. 

.  .  .  .August,   1796. 

Henry  Hill,  clerk,  
Henry  Hill  (Guilford) 

August,  1796, 
1  8  1  o, 

1810. 
1820. 

William  Todd    clerk 

1810, 

July*  1820. 

Reuben  Elliott  (Guilford) 

1820, 

1834. 

George  Griswold,  clerk,  .... 
Maj.  Sam'l  Fowler  (Guilford), 
Ralph  D.  Smith,  clerk,  
Reuben  Elliott  (Guilford) 

July,  1820, 
.     1834, 

1834. 

1835. 

June,    1834, 

Tune,   1835. 

1835, 

....      ....    1838. 

George  Griswold,  clerk,  
Joel  Tuttle  (Guilford),. 

June,  1835, 
1838, 

June,   1838. 
1842. 

Ralph  D.  Smith,  clerk,  
George  Griswold  (Guilford), 

June>  I^3^> 
1842, 

June,   1842. 
...    Feb.  7,   1843. 

...June  5,  1843. 
1844. 

Alvah  B.  Goldsmith,  clerk,  .  . 

....  1842. 

John  R.  Wikox  (Madison),.  . 
Alvah  B.  Goldsmith,  clerk. 
George  Landon,   

(acting  judge),  Feb.  7,   1843, 
1843, 

Alvah  B.  Goldsmith,  clerk,.  . 

June,   1844. 

Ralph  D.  Smith,  

June,  1844, 

1846. 

E.  R.  Landon,  clerk. 
George  Landon,  

.  1846, 

.  .1847. 

Alvah  B.  Goldsmith,  clerk. 
Ralph  D.  Smith,  

1847, 

.    i8co. 

Edward  R.  Landon,  clerk. 
George  Landon,  

1850, 

.  .1854. 

Alvah  B.  Goldsmith,  clerk. 

.  .  1854. 

Sylvanus  Clark,  clerk. 

HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


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HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  15! 

At  the  first  settlement  of  the  town  no  form  of  government 
seems  to  have  been  adopted,  probably  because  they  were  in 
doubt  fora  year  or  two  whether  they  should  remain  or  not.  It 
is  said  in  the  "  Review  of  the  more  fixed  agreements,  laws  and 
orders  made  from  time  to  time  from  the  settlement  up  to  1649," 
that  the  church  was  gathered  June  19  (O.  S.)  1643,  and  that  the 
feoffees  in  trust  of  the  plantation  resigned  up  their  right,  into 
the  hands  of  the  church,  of  all  the  lands  purchased  from  the 
natives  ;  and  those  four  men  of  their  number  also,  which  had 
been  chosen  to  the  exercise  of  civil  power,  did  also  express  that 
their  trust  and  power  for  that  purpose  was  terminated  and  ended. 
Whereof  notice  being  taken  at  the  public  meeting,  it  was  pro- 
pounded, agreed  and  concluded  that  whereas,  in  times  past  there 
being  no  church  gathered,  the  power  was  put  in  the  hands  ot 
four  men,  that  now  the  affairs  being  settled  the  town  and  church 
should  be  organized,  etc. 

The  power  was  entrusted  to  the  hands  of  the  four  to  whom 
reference  has  been  made,  at  a  public  meeting  (not  a  general 
court)  Feb.  2  (Feb.  12,  new  style)  1641-2,  in  the  form  follow- 
ing, viz  :  "  It  is  agreed  that  the  civil  power  for  administration 
of  justice  and  preservation  of  peace  shall  remain  in  the  hands 
of  Robt.  Kitchel,  William  Chittenden,  John  Bishop,  and  William 
Leete  formerly  chosen  for  that  work,  until  some  may  be  chosen 
out  of  the  church  that  shall  be  gathered  here.  In  the  hands 
of  these  men  the  power  seems  to  have  been  placed  without  limit- 
ation until  June,  1643.  They  may  hence  be  considered  magis- 
trates and  committee  from  September,  1639,  to  June  29,  1643. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  planters,  held  June  29,  1643  (N.  S.), 
the  church  was  accordingly  gathered,  and  the  constitution 
adopted,  by  which  the  choice  of  officers  was  regulated  as  also 
the  first  division  of  land,  and  probably  the  first  town  magistrates 
and  other  officers  were  chosen.  Mr.  Samuel  Disborough  and 


152  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Mr.  William  Leete  were  chosen  to  meet  the  court  at  New 
Haven  and  the  Combination  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  New 
Haven  colony  was  planned.  Accordingly,  we  find  on  the  6th 
of  July  (i6th  N.  S.),  1643,  or  about  seventeen  days  after  that, 
Mr.  Disborough  and  Mr.  Leete  were  admitted  members  of  the 
court  at  New  Haven  for  Menunkatuck,  and  "  received  the 
charge  of  freemen  of  this  court,"  and  at  the  same  meeting  "  it 
was  ordered  that  £5  from  Stamford,  ,£5  from  [Menunkatuck] 
Guilford  and  £2  from  Yennicock  [Southold,  L.  I.],  shall  be  raised 
and  paid  into  the  treasury  of  New  Haven  toward  the  charges 
about  the  Combination."  And  at  the  same  meeting 

"  Menunkatuck  was  named  Guilford."1 

At  the  organization  of  the  Combination  in  the  month  of  October, 
1643,  Stamford  was  the  first  annexed  to  New  Haven  in  terms 
following,  viz  :  that  the  settlers  pay  the  New  Haven  planta- 
tion the  expenses  of  purchase  from  the  Indians  and  other  charges 
expended  amounting  to  .£33  "and  join  in  one  jurisdiction  with 
New  Haven  upon  certain  considerations,  propounded  at  the  first 
settlement  of  the  plantation  but  since  perfected  in  a  fundamental 
agreement  settled  for  this  jurisdiction  October,  1643,  as  by  that 
record  more  particularly  may  appear  ;  and  upon  their  desire  their 
plantation  is  called  Stamford." 

And  immediately  after  Guilford  is  admitted  as  follows,  viz : 
"  Menunkatuck,  formerly  purchased  and  planted  by  Mr.  Whit- 
field  and  his  company,  was  also  admitted  into  this  jurisdiction 
upon  the  same  fundamental  agreement  as  Stamford  ;  and  upon 
their  desire  that  plantation  is  called  Guilford" 

"  Milford  the  neighboring  plantation  to  the  westward  was 
also  admitted  into  this  jurisdiction  upon  the  same  fundamental 
agreement  in  October,  1643." 


Ha-ven  Toion  and  Colony  Records,  vol.  I,  page  47. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  153 

"  Totoket  [also]  a  place  fit  for  a  small  plantation,  between 
New  Haven  and  Guilford,  and  purchased  from  the  Indians, 
was  granted  to  Mr.  Swayne  and  some  others  of  Wethersfield, 
they  repaying  the  charges  which  are  between  ,£12  and  ,£13  and 
joining  in  one  jurisdiction  with  New  Haven  and  the  forenamed 
plantations  upon  the  same  fundamental  agreement  in  October, 
1643,  which  they  duly  considering  readily  accepted." 

This  year  for  the  first  time  the  general  court  at  New  Haven 
is  distinctly  recorded  and  distinguished  by  the  title  of  the  go- 
vernor, deputy  governor,  magistrates  and  deputies. 

The  fundamental  agreement,  spoken  of  above,  is  given  at 
length  in  Appendix  A  to  this  History,  and  was  adopted  at  the 
first  organization  of  the  government  for  the  whole  jurisdiction, 
October  27,  1643,  at  which  meeting,  William  Leete  and  Samuel 
Disborougb  were  the  deputies  from  Guilford,  and  Samuel Disborough 
was  recognized  as  the  magistrate  for  Guilford,  which  office  he 
held  1651.  The  deputies  associated  with  him  for  that  particular 
court  are  not  mentioned  until  1645  when  they  were 

William  Leete. 

John  Mipham. 

John  Hodely. 
1646  Willliam  Chittenden. 

William  Leete. 

Thomas  Jordan. 

1649  William  Chittenden. 
William  Leete. 
Robert  Kitchell. 

1650  William  Chittenden. 
Robert  Kitchell. 
Thomas  Jordan. 
George  Hubbard. 

William  Leete  was  chief  magistrate  from  1651  until  the  union 

20 


154  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

with  Connecticut.  In  1661,  John  Fowler  was  chosen  in  place 
of  William  Chittenden  deceased  and  George  Bartlett  in  the 
room  of  Thomas  Jordan,  continuing  until  the  union  with  Con- 
necticut colony  in  1664,  and  two  years  later  until  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  judiciary  in  1666,  when  the  county  court  for  New 
Haven  county  was  organized  and  commenced  its  first  session 
at  New  Haven,  June  13  (O.  S.),  1666,  with  the  following 
magistrates; 

Mr.  William  Leete,  Chief  Magistrate. 

Mr.  William  Jones,  "") 

Mr.  Benj.  Fenn,         j>      Assistants. 

Mr.  Jasper  Crane,       I 

Alex.  Bryan,       1       Commissioners. 
James  Bishop,    J 

Since  then  the  magistrates  of  the  town  have  been  the  assist- 
ants and  the  justices  of  the  peace. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


'5-5 


The  Deputies  for  the  several  years  were  as  follows : 

1643.  First  and  Second  Sessions,     Samuel  Disborough. 

William  Leete. 

1644.  "  "  "  William  Leete. 

Jacob  Sheafe. 
William  Leete. 
John  Mipham. 
William  Leete. 
John  Mipham. 
William  Leete. 
William  Chittenden. 
1647.     First  and  Second  Sessions,     William  Leete. 

William  Chittenden. 

Cl 


1645.  "  "         " 

1646.     First  Session,  May, 

1646.  Second  Session,  Oct., 


1648. 

1649.  "  "  " 

1650.  "  "  " 

1651.  "  "  " 

1652.  "  "  " 

1653.  "  "  " 

1654.  Several  extra  sessions, 

1655.  Whole  year. 

1656.  "          u 


William  Leete. 
William  Chittenden. 
William  Leete. 
William  Chittenden. 
Robert  Kitchell. 
William  Chittenden. 
William  Chittenden. 
Thomas  Jordan. 
Thomas  Jordan. 
George  Hubbard. 
William  Chittenden. 
Thomas  Jordan. 
William  Chittenden. 
Thomas  Jordan. 
William  Chittenden. 
George  Hubbard. 
William  Chittenden. 
Robert  Kitchell. 


,56 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


l66o. 


1 66 1.     First  and  second  sessions, 


1657.  Whole  year.  William  Chittenden. 

George  Hubbard. 

1658.  "         "  William  Chittenden. 

George  Hubbard. 

1659.  "          "  William  Chittenden. 

George  Hubbard. 
William  Chittenden. 
George  Hubbard. 
Robert  Kitchell. 
John  Fowler. 
Robert  Kitchell. 
George  Hubbard. 
Robert  Kitchell. 
George  Bartlett. 
John  Fowler. 
John  Scranton. 
John  Fowler. 
George  Bartlett. 

[After  which  time  the  colonies  of  Connecticut  and  New 
Haven  being  united,  the  delegates  were  chosen  twice  a  year  to 
Hartford  until  May,  1701,  when  it  was  ordered,  "at  a  court  of 
election  holden  at  Hartford,"  that  the  May  terms  should  there- 
after be  held  in  Hartford  and  the  October  terms  in  New  Haven. 
In  1818,  however,  when  the  present  constitution  of  the  state 
was  adopted,  provision  was  made  for  but  one  stated  session  of 
the  general  assembly,  to  be  holden  in  each  year,  alternately  at 
Hartford  and  New  Haven,  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  May,  and 
at  such  other  times  as  the  general  assembly  shall  judge  neces- 
sary ;  the  first  session  to  be  holden  at  Hartford  ;  but  the  per- 
son administering  the  office  of  governor,  may,  on  special  emer- 
gencies, convene  the  general  assembly  at  either  of  said  places, 
at  any  other  time.  And  in  case  of  danger  from  the  prevalence 
of  contagious  diseases,  in  either  of  said  places,  or  other  circum- 


1662. 
1663. 
1664. 
1664. 


Whole  year. 
Extra  session,  Jan., 
Summer  session, 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  157 

stances,  the  person  administering  the  office  of  governor  may,  by 
proclamation,  convene  said  assembly  at  any  other  place  in  this 
state.  "  In  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  this  amend- 
ment, delegates  were  after  1818  chosen  annually. 

In  1873,  an  amendment  to  the  constitution  was  adopted  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  state,  which  provided  for  only  one  capital, 
and  is  as  follows  :  "  All  annual  and  special  sessions  of  the 
general  assembly  shall,  on  and  after  the  first  Wednesday  of 
May,  1875,  be  held  at  Hartford;  but  the  person  administering 
the  office  of  governor  may,  in  case  of  special  emergency  con- 
vene said  assembly  at  any  other  place  in  this  state." 

In  1875,  another  amendment  was  adopted,  requiring  the  stated 
session  of  the  general  assembly,  next  following  the  May  session 
of  1876,  to  be  held  on  the  Wednesday  after  the  first  of  January, 
1877,  and  that  thereafter,  annually,  stated  sessions  should  be 
held  in  Hartford  on  the  Wednesday  after  the  first  Monday  in 
January.] 


Deputies  to  the  General  Court  from  Guilford. 

1665.  First  Session, George  Bartlett.  x 

John  Fowler. 

Second    "        George  Hubbard. 

William  Johnson. 

1666.  First       "        John  Fowler. 

Thomas  Cook. 

"          Second    "        George  Hubbard. 

John  Fowler. 

1667.  First        "        John  Fowler. 

William  Johnson. 


1  The  name  of  George  Bartlett  does  not  appear  on  Col.  Rec.,  and  the  name  of 
John  Fowler's  associate  is  given  as  John  Bartlett. 


i58 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


1667.  Second  Session, John  Fowler. 

William  Johnson. 

1668.  First       "        John  Fowler. 

William  Johnson. 

"         Second    "       Dea.  Jno.  Fowler. 

Sergt.  Wm.  Johnson. 

1669.  First       "       Dea.  Jno.  Fowler. 

Sergt.  Wm.  Johnson. 

"          Second    "        William  Johnson. 

John  Scranton. 

1670.  First       "        John  Scranton. 

John  Graves. 

"          Second    "        Dea.  Jno.  Fowler. 

William  Johnson. 

1671.  First       "        Ens.  John  Graves. 

William  Johnson. 

"         Second    "       Dea.  John  Fowler. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 

1672.  First       u        Dea.  John  Fowler. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 

41          Second    "        Dea.  John  Fowler. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 

1673.  First       "        Dea.  John  Fowler. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 

"         Second    "       Dea.  John  Fowler. 

Lieut.  Wm.  Seward. 

1674.  First       "       Dea.  Wm.  Johnson. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 

"          Second    "        Lieut.  Wm.  Seward. 

Dea.  John  Fowler. 

1675.  First       u       Ens.  John  Graves. 

Dea.  John  Fowler. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


'59 


1675. 

Special 

11 

Second 

1676. 

First 

M 

Second 

1677. 

First 

U 

Second 

1678. 

First 

u 

Second 

1679. 

First 

u 

Second 

1680. 

First 

u 

Second 

1681. 

First 

u 

Second 

1682. 

First 

Session, Dea.  John  Fowler. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 
"        Mr.  Andrew  Leete. 

Dea.  John  Fowler. 
"       Mr.  Andrew  Leete. 

William  Johnson. 
"       Mr.  Andrew  Leete. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 
"       Mr.  Andrew  Leete. 

Mr.  William  Leete. 
"       Mr.  Andrew  Leete. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 
"       Mr.  Andrew  Leete. 

Mr.  William  Leete. * 
"        Ens.  John  Graves. 

Dea.  William  Johnson. 
"        Dea.  William  Johnson. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 
"        Mr.  William  Leete. 

Dea.  William  Johnson. 
"        Mr.  William  Leete. 

Dea.  William  Johnson. 
"        Mr.  William  Leete. 

Dea.  William  Johnson. 
"       Mr.  William  Leete. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 
"       Mr.  William  Leete. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 
"        Dea.  William  Johnson. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 


'Mr.  Andrew  Leete  having  also  been  chosen  Assistant,  Mr.  William  Leete  was 
the  sole  Representative. 


i6o 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


1682.  Second  Session, Mr.  William  Leete. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 

1683.  First       "        Lieut.  William  Seward. 

Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

"          Second    "        Mr.  William  Leete. 

Lieut.  William  Seward. 

1684.  First       "        Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 

"          Second    "        Lieut.  Wm.  Seward. 

Ens.  John  Graves. 

1685.  First       "        Lieut.  William  Seward. 

Dea.  William  Johnson. 

11          Second    "        Lieut.  William  Seward. 

Dea.  William  Johnson. 

1686.  First       u        Dea.  William  Johnson. 

Dea.  John  Graves. 

"          Second    "        Dea.  William  Johnson. 

Dea.  John  Graves. 

1687.  First     "          Dea.  William  Johnson. 

Dea.  John  Graves. 

"          Second    "        Dea.  William  Johnson. 

Dea.  John  Graves. 

1688.  First       u  There  was  no  meeting  of  the  Assem- 

bly, in  consequence  of  the  usurpa- 

"          Second    "  tion  of  E.  Andross,  and  no  delegates 

chosen. 

1689.  First,  and  Special  Session,     Dea.  William  Johnson. 

Dea.  John  Graves. 

"         Second  Session, Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Dea.  William  Johnson. 

1690.  First  and  Special  Session,...     Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Dea.  William  Johnson. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


161 


1690.     Second  Session, Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Capt.  John  Graves. 
1791.  First  "  Dea.  William  Johnson. 

Capt.  John  Graves. 
"  Second  "  Mr.  William  Johnson. 

Capt.  John  Graves. 

1692.  First       "       Capt.  John  Graves. 

Lieut.  Stephen  Bradley. 

"         Second    "       Capt.  John  Graves. 

Lieut.  Stephen  Bradley. 

1693.  First       «c       Capt.  John  Graves. 

Lieut.  Stephen  Bradley. 

11         Second    "        Capt.  John  Graves. 

Lieut.  Stephen  Bradley. 

1694.  First       "       Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Lieut.  Stephen  Bradley. 

"         Second    "       Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Dea.  William  Johnson. 

1695.  First       "       Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Mr.  Thomas  Meacock. 

"         Second    "       , Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Mr.  Thomas  Meacock. 

1696.  First       "       Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Mr.  John  Eliot. 

"         Second    "        Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Lieut.  Stephen  Bradley. 

1697.  First       "       Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Mr.  John  Elliot. 

"         Second    "       Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Mr.  Abraham  Fowler. 

1698.  First       "        Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Ensign  Abr.  Fowler. 
21 


l62 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


1698.  Second  Session, Capt.  Stephen  Bradley. 

Lieut.  Abr.  Fowler. 

1699.  First       "       Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Lieut.  Abr.  Fowler. 

41         Second    "       Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Lieut.  Abr.  Fowler. 

1700.  First       "       Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Capt.  Stephen  Bradley. 

"         Second    "       Mr.  Josiah  Rossiter. 

Capt.  Stephen  Bradley. 

1701.  First       "        Capt.  Stephen  Bradley. 

Lieut.  Abr.  Fowler. 

"         Second    "       Capt.  Stephen  Bradley. 

Lieut.  Abr.  Fowler. 

1702.  First       "       Lieut.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Ens.   Nathaniel  Stone. 

"         Second    "       Lieut.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

1703.  First       "       Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

"         Second    "         Capt.  Abr.j|Fowler. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

1704.  First       "       Mr.  Joseph  Dudley. 

Lieut.  John  Seward. 

"         Second    "       Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  Joseph  Dudley. 

1705.  First       "       Lieut.  John^Seward. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

u         Second    •«       Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Sergt.   Joseph   Dudley. 

1706.  First       " Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  163 

1706.  Second  Session, Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

1707.  First       "       Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

"         Second   "       Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

1708.  First       "       Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

"         Second    "        Capt.  John  Seward. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

1709.  First       "        Mr.  James  Hooker. 

Mr.  John  Seward. 

"         Second    "        Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  John  Collins,  id. 

1710.  First       "       Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

"         Second    "       Capt.  Abr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  Andrew  Ward. 

1711.  First       "       Mr.  Andrew  Ward. 

Mr.  John  Collins,  2d. 

"         Second    "       Capt.  Abraham  Fowler. 

Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

1712.  First       "        Capt.  Abraham  Fowler.1 

Mr.  James  Hooker. 

"         Second    "        Mr.  James  Hooker. 

Capt.  Andrew  Ward, 

1713.  First       " Mr.  James  Hooker. 

Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

"         Second    "        Mr.  James  Hooker. 

Capt.  Andrew  Ward. 


1  Capt.  Abraham   Fowler  having  been  chosen  Assistant,  did  not  serve  as  Repre- 
sentative. 


164 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


1714.  First  Session, Capt.  Andrew  Ward. 

Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

"         Second    "        Capt.  Andrew  Ward. 

Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

1715.  First       "         Capt.  Andrew  Ward. 

Mr.  Peter  Talman. 

"          Second    "        Capt.  Andrew  Ward. 

Mr.  Peter  Talman. 

1716.  First       "       Capt.  Andrew  Ward. 

Lieut.  Janna  Meigs. 

"         Second    "        Mr.  James  Hooker. 

Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

1717.  First       "       Mr.  C.  Leete. 

Capt.  Janna  Meigs. 

"         Second    "        Capt.  Andrew  Ward. 

Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

1718.  First       "        Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Capt.  Janna  Meigs. 

"         Second    "       Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Benjamin  Hand. 

1719.  First       "       Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Joseph  Stone. 

"          Second    "        Mr.  Benjamin  Hand. 

Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

1720.  First       "        Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Joseph  Hand. 

"         Second    "        Mr.  James  Hooker. 

Mr.  Benjamin  Hand. 

1721.  First       "       Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Andrew  Ward. 

•l         Second    " Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Joseph  Stone. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  165 

1722.  First  Session, Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Joseph  Stone. 

"          Second    "        Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Joseph  Stone. 

1723.  First       "        Mr.  James  Hooker. 

Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Second    "        Mr.  Joseph  Stone. 

Mr.  Peletiah  Leete. 

1724.  First       "        Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Joseph  Stone. 

"         Second    "       Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Joseph  Stone. 

1725.  First       "        Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Capt.  Andrew  Ward. 

"         Second    "       Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Capt.  Andrew  Ward. 

1726.  First       "        Capt.  Janna  Meigs. 

Capt.  Andrew  Ward. 

"         Second    "        Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Peletiah  Leete. 

1727.  First       "        Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Peletiah  Leete. 

"         Second    "        Mr.  Caleb  Leete. 

Mr.  Peletiah  Leete. 

1728.  First       "       Mr.  Samuel  Hill. 

Mr.  Benj.  Hand. 

u         Second    "        Mr.  Samuel  Hill, 

Mr.  Benj.  Hand. 

1729.  First       "        Mr.  Samuel  Hill. 

Mr.  Benj.  Hand. 

"         Second    "       Mr.  Samuel  Hill. 

Mr.  Benjamin  Hand. 


i66 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


J730. 


'731 


1732. 


'733- 


'735- 


1736. 


First  Session, Mr. 

Mr. 
Second  "  Mr. 

Mr. 
First  "  Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 
Second  " Mr. 

Mr. 


Second  " 

First  " 

Second  " 

First  " 

Second  " 

First  " 

Second  " 

First  " 

Second  " 

First  " 

Second  " 

First  « 


Samuel  Hill. 
Benj.  Hand. 
Samuel  Hill. 
Benj.  Strong. 
Samuel  Hill. 
Benjamin  Strong. 
Samuel  Hill. 
Benjamin  Hand. 
Samuel  Hill. 
Benj.  Hand. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Benj.  Hand. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Thos.  Hotchkins. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Thos.  Hodgskins. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Thos.  Hotchkiss. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Thos.  Hodgskins. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Thos.  Hotchkiss. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Peletiah  Leete. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Peletiah  Leete. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Timothy  Stone. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Timothy  Stone. 
Sam.  Hill. 
Timothy  Stone. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

1738.  First  Session, Mr.  Peletiah  Leete. 

Mr.  Sam.  Hill. 

u         Second    "       Mr.  Peletiah  Leete. 

Mr.  Sam.  Robinson. 

1739.  First       "       Peletiah  Leete. 

Samuel  Hill. 

"         Second    c<       Samuel  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

1740.  First       "       Caleb  Leete. 

Peletiah  Leete. 

"         Second    " Samuel  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

1741.  First       "       Samuel  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

"         Second    "       Samuel  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

1742.  First       "       Samuel  Hill. 

Benjamin  Hand. 

"         Second    "       Samuel  Hill. 

Benjamin  Hand. 

1743.  First       "       Samuel  Hill. 

Benjamin  Hand. 

"         Second    "       Samuel  Hill. 

Benjamin  Hand. 

1744.  First       "       Samuel  Hill. 

Benjamin  Hand. 

"          Second    "       Timothy  Stone. 

Sam.  Robinson. 

1745.  First       u       Sam.  Hill,  Speaker. 

Timothy  Stone. 

"          Second    "        ...      Sam.  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 


167 


i68 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


1746.  First  Session, Sam.  Hill,  Speaker. 

Timothy  Stone. 

"         Second    "       Samuel  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

1747.  First       "       Samuel  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

"          Second    "       Timothy  Stone. 

Sam.  Robinson. 

1748.  First       "       Samuel  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

"         Second    "       Samuel  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

1749.  First       "       Timothy  Stone. 

William  Ward. 

"         Second    "       Samuel  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

1750.  First       "       Andrew  Ward. 

Sam.  Robinson. 

"         Second    "       Sam.  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone 

1751.  First       "       Sam.  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

"         Second    "       Samuel  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

1752.  First       "       Sam.  Hill. 

Timothy  Stone. 

"          Second    "       Timothy  Stone. 

Sam.  Robinson. 

1753.  First       "        Timothy  Stone. 

Sam'l  Robinson. 

"          Second    "        ..' Timothy  Stone. 

Sam'l  Robinson. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

1754.  First  Session, Andrew  Ward. 

Nathaniel  Ruggles. 

a         Second    u        Timothy  Stone. 

Andrew  Ward. 

1755.  First       "        Andrew  Ward  Jr. 

Sam'I  Robinson. 

"         Second   "       Timothy  Stone. 

Sam'I  Robinson. 

1756.  First       "        Timothy  Stone. 

Sam'I  Robinson. 

"         Second    "       Sam'I  Robinson. 

Timothy  Stone. 

1757.  First       "       Sam'I  Robinson. 

Timothy  Stone. 

"         Second    "       Sam'I  Robinson. 

Timothy  Stone. 

1758.  First       "       Sam'I  Robinson. 

Timothy  Stone. 

"         Second    "       Sam'I  Robinson. 

Timothy  Stone. 

1759.  First       "       Andrew  Ward. 

James  Robinson. 

Second    "        Timothy  Stone. 

Edmund  Ward. 

1760.  First       "        Timothy  Stone. 

Edmund  Ward. 

"         Second    "        Timothy  Stone. 

Edmund  Ward. 

1761.  First       "        Timothy  Stone. 

Nathaniel  Hill. 

"         Second    "       Timothy  Stone. 

Nathaniel  Hill. 
22 


169 


i  yo 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


1762.  First  Session, Timothy  Stone. 

Nathaniel  Hill. 

"         Second    "       Timothy   Stone. 

Sam'l  Robinson. 

1763.  First       "       Sam'l  Robinson. 

Nathaniel  Hill. 

"         Second    "       Timothy  Stone. 

Nathaniel  Hill. 

1764.  First       " Timothy  Stone. 

Nathaniel  Hill. 

u         Second    "       Timothy  Stone. 

Nathaniel  Hill. 

1765.  First       "        Timothy  Stone. 

Nathaniel  Hill. 

"         Second    "       Nathaniel  Hill. 

Nathaniel  Ruggles. 

1766.  First       "       Nathaniel  Hill. 

Nathaniel  Ruggles. 

"         Second    "       Nathaniel  Hill. 

Nathaniel  Ruggles. 

1767.  First       "        Nathaniel  Hill. 

Josiah  Meigs. 

"         Second    "       Nathaniel  Hill. 

John  Elliott. 

1768.  First       "       Nathaniel  Hill. 

Joseph  Pynchon. 

"         Second    "       Nathaniel  Hill. 

John  Burgis. 

1769.  First       "       Nathaniel  Hill. 

Joseph  Pynchon. 

"         Second    " Nathaniel  Hill. 

John  Burgis. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

1770.  First  Session, John  Elliott. 

John  Burgis. 

"         Second    "       Nathaniel  Hill. 

John  Elliott. 

1771.  First       "       Nathaniel  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

"          Second    "        Jno.  Burgis. 

Nathaniel  Hill. 

1772.  First       "        Andrew  Ward. 

John  Burgis. 

"         Second    "       S.  Brown. 

Andrew  Ward. 

1773.  First       "       S.  Brown. 

Andrew  Ward. 

"         Second    "       S.  Brown. 

Andrew  Ward. 

1774.  First       "       John  Burgis. 

J.  Redfield. 

"         Second    "       John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

1775.  First       "       John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

"         Second    "        John  Burgis. 

S.  Brown. 

1776.  First       "       Andrew  Ward. 

John  Burgis. 

*«         Second    "       N.  Stone. 

Nathaniel  Ruggles. 

1777.  First       "       N.  Stone. 

Nathaniel  Ruggles. 

u         Second    "       Andrew  Ward. 

John  Burgis. 


172 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


1778.  First  Session, Andrew  Ward. 

Samuel  Robinson. 

"          Second    "        Andrew  Ward. 

Samuel  Robinson. 

1779.  First       "       Samuel  Lee  Jr. 

N.  Stone. 

*c         Second    "        John  Burgis. 

N.  Stone. 

1780.  First       " John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

11         Second    "        John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

1781.  First       "       John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

"         Second    "       

Andrew  Ward. 

1782.  First       "       John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

"          Second    "        John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

1783.  First       "        John  Burgis. 

Augustus  Collins. 

"         Second    "        Andrew  Ward. 

John  Burgis. 

1784.  First       "       Augustus  Collins. 

Samuel  Lee. 

"         Second    "       John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

1785.  First       u       Andrew  Ward. 

Samuel  Lee. 

"         Second    u       John  Burgis. 

Samuel  Lee. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


173 


1786.  First  Session, John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

"         Second    "        John  Burgis. 

Samuel  Lee. 

1787.  First       "       John  Elliott. 

Andrew  Ward. 

Second    "        John  Burgis. 

John  Elliott. 

1788.  First       "        John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

"         Second    "        John  Burgis. 

Andrew  Ward. 

1789.  First       "       John  Elliott. 

Andrew  Ward. 

"         Second    "        Andrew  Ward. 

John  Elliott. 

1790.  First       "       Andrew  Ward. 

John  Elliott. 

"         Second    "        Andrew  Ward. 

John  Elliott. 

1791.  First       "        Andrew  Ward. 

John  Elliott. 

"         Second    "       Andrew  Ward. 

John  Elliott. 

1792.  First       "       Augustus  Collins. 

Samuel  Lee. 

11         Second    "        Andrew  Ward. 

John  Elliott. 

1793.  First       "       Augustus  Collins. 

Andrew  Ward. 

"         Second    "        Andrew  Ward. 

John  Elliott. 


'74 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


1794.  First  Session, Andrew  Ward. 

William  Brown. 

il         Second    "       Andrew  Ward. 

William  Brown. 

1795.  First       "       Andrew  Ward. 

N.  Rossiter. 

"         Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

William  Brown. 

1796.  First        "        Andrew  Ward. 

John  Elliott. 

'«         Second    "       Andrew  Ward. 

William  Brown. 

1797.  First       '*       Andrew  Ward. 

Augustus  Collins. 

"         Second    "        N         .  Rossiter. 

Jonathan  Todd. 

1798.  First       "       N         .  Rossiter. 

Andrew  Ward. 

"          Second    "        N          .  Chidsey. 

Rufus  Norton. 

1799.  First       "       Augustus  Collins. 

Samuel  Lee. 

Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

Samuel  Lee. 

1800.  First       l-        Augustus  Collins. 

Samuel  Robinson. 

Second    "        Augustus  Collins. 

Samuel  Lee. 

1801.  First       "         Augustus  Collins. 

N         .  Rossiter. 

"         Second    "       N         .  Rossiter. 

Augustus  Collins. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


175 


1802.  First  Session, N         .  Rossiter. 

Augustus  Collins. 

"         Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

N         .  Rossiter. 

1803.  First       kt       Augustus  Collins. 

N.         Rossiter. 

"          Second    "        Augustus  Collins. 

N.  Rossiter. 

1804.  First       "       Augustus  Collins. 

N          .  Rossiter,  id  clerk. 

Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

N          .  Rossiter,  ist  clerk. 

1805.  First       "        Augustus  Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

u         Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

1806.  First       "        Augustus  Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

"         Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

Samuel  Robinson. 

1807.  First       "       Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Joseph  Elliott. 

"         Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

1808.  First       "        Augustus  Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

"         Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

Joseph  Elliott. 

1809.  First       tl       Augustus  Collins. 

Joseph  Elliott. 

"         Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

Joseph  Elliott. 


i76 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


1810.  First  Session, Augustus  Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

lt         Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

Joseph  Elliott. 

1811.  First       "       Augustus  Collins. 

Joseph  Elliott. 

"         Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

1812.  First       "        Augustus  Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

"         Second    u       Augustus  Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

1813.  First       "        Augustus^Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

"         Second    "       Augustus  Collins. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 

1814.  First       "       Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Jonathan  Todd. 

"         Second    "        Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Jonathan  Todd. 

1815.  First       "       Joseph  Elliott. 

Samuel  Robinson. 

"         Second    "        Joseph  Elliott. 

Samuel  Robinson. 

1816.  First       "        Joseph  Elliott. 

Samuel  Robinson. 

"          Second    "        Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Samuel  Robinson. 

1817.  First       "        Samuel  Robinson. 

Benjamin  Baldwin. 

"         Second    " Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Samuel  Robinson. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  177 

1818.     First       "       Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Samuel  Robinson. 

"          Second    "        Nathaniel  Griffing. 

William  Todd. 


Constitution  of  the  State  adopted  in  1818. 
NATHANIEL  GRIFFING, 


,  - Azotes  to  Com.  Convention. 

WILLIAM  TODD. 

After   1818   there  was  but  one  Session  of  the  General  As- 
sembly each  year. 

1819 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

William  Todd. 
1820 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

William  Todd. 
1821 Nathaniel  Griffing, 

William  Todd. 
1822 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

William  Todd. 
1823 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

William  Todd. 
1824 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

William  Todd. 
1825 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Sam.  Robinson. 
1826 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Abel  Rossiter. 
1827 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

William  Todd. 
1828 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Abel  Rossiter. 


23 


iy8  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

1829 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

William  Todd. 
1830 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

George  Landon. 
1831 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Abel  Rossiter. 
1832 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Joel  Tuttle. 
1833 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Abel  Rossiter. 
1834 Joel  Tuttle. 

Abraham  S.  Fowler. 
1835 Nathaniel  Griffing. 

Abel  Rossiter. 
1836 George  Landon. 

Nathaniel  Griffing. 
1837 George  Landon. 

Henry  Elliott. 
1838 Joel  Tuttle. 

John  H.  Bartlett. 
1839 George  A.  Foote. 

Marcus  B.  Bartlett. 
1840 George  A.  Foote. 

Samuel  C.  Johnson. 
1841 George  A.  Foote. 

Samuel  W.  Dudley 

1842 No  representatives  chosen. 

1843 No  representatives  chosen. 

1844 No  representatives  chosen. 

1845 ^°  representatives  chosen. 

1846 Reuben  Stone. 

William  Hale. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  179 

1847 Reuben  Stone. 

William  Hale. 

1848 Reuben  Stone. 

Jasper  Monroe. 

1849 Reuben  Stone. 

Franklin  C.  Phelps. 
1850 Julius  A.  Dowd. 

Lewis  Griswold. 
1851 Russel  Benton. 

James  A.  Norton. 
1852 Henry  Fowler,  id. 

Lewis  Griswold. 

1853 Samuel  W.  Dudley. 

Henry  Fowler. 
1854 Edward  L.  Leete. 

Leverett  Griswold. 
1855 George  A.  Foote. 

Amos  Fowler. 
1856 John  Hale. 

Calvin  M.  Leete. 

1857 George  A.  Foote. 

Sam.  W.  Dudley. 
1858 , Albert  B.  Wildman. 

Benjamin  Corbin. 

1859 Ralph  D.  Smith. 

T.  Rossiter. 
1860 Sherman  Graves. 

John  Hale. 
1861 Richard  Bartlett. 

Stephen  R.  Bartlett. 
1862 Calvin  M.  Leete. 

John  Griswold. 


l8o  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

1863 John  H.  Bartlett. 

Saml.  W.  Dudley. 
1864 John  H.  Bartlett. 

Henry  E.  Norton. 
1865 Samuel  W.  Dudley. 

Edward  L.  Leete. 
1866 Henry  Fowler  of  Rich. 

Gen.  Edw.  M.  Lee. 
1867 Gen.  Edw.  M.  Lee. 

David  B.  Rossiter. 
1868 Rev.  E.  Edwin  Hall. 

Eli  Parmelee. 
1869 Julius  A.  Dowd. 

Stephen  R.  Bartlett. 
1870 Edward  R.  Landon. 

Hethcote  G.  Landon. 
1871 Henry  Benton   2d. 

John  R.  Rossiter. 
1872 Albert  B.  Wildman. 

Charles  F.  Leete. 

1873 Henry  Fowler. 

John  R.  Rossiter. 
1874 H.  Lynde  Harrison. 

George  B.  Spencer. 
1875 H.  Lynde  Harrison. 

John  R.  Rossiter. 
1876 H.  Lynde  Harrison. 

John  Wm.  Norton. 
1877 H.  L.  Harrison,  Speaker. 

David  Bartlett. 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD.  l8l 

At  a  court  for  the  jurisdiction  held  April,  1644,  after  ap- 
pointing the  magistrates  for  the  other  plantations  of  the  colony, 
"  It  was  ordered  that  for  the  more  comfortable  carrying  on  the 
affairs  at  Guilford  '//'//  they  have  a  magistrate  there,  the  free 
burgesses  may  choose  among  themselves  four  deputies  and  form 
a  court,"  which  it  seems  they  did,  but  the  next  year  a  magistrate 
seems  to  have  presided. 


The  Treasurers  for  the  Plantation  until  the  Union  with 
Connecticut. 

Thomas  Jordan, 164310  1650. 

Robert  Kitchel, 1650  to  1652. 

Thomas  Jordan,  reflected,.. 165210  1654. 

Robert  Kitchel,  reelected, 1654101656. 

William  Leete, 1656101657. 

Abraham  Cruttenden, 165710  1660. 

Thomas  Cook, 1660  to  1662. 

Robert  Kitchel,  reelected, 1662101664. 


The  Marshals  from  the  Settlement  until  the  Union  with 
Connecticut. 

Thomas  Jones, 164310  1652. 

John   Fowler, 1652101661. 

John  Scranton, 1661  to  1662. 

William  Seward, 1662  to  1664. 


I  82  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


Town  Clerks  Since  the  Settlement  of  the  Town. 

1.  Governor  William  Leete, !^39  to  1662. 

2.  George  Bartlett,  1662  to  1665. 

3.  Samuel  Kitchell, 1665101668. 

4.  William  Johnson, 1668  to  1673. 

5.  John  Graves, 167310  1685. 

6.  Josiah  Rossiter,1 1685101706. 

7.  Joseph  Dudley, 1706101707. 

8.  Josiah  Rossiter  rechosen,    1707  to  1716. 

9.  John  French, 1716101717. 

10.  Samuel  Hill,  1717  to  1720. 

11.  Andrew  Ward, 1720101721. 

12.  Samuel  Hill,  rechosen,  1721  to  1752. 

13.  Nathaniel  Hill,  J752  to  1771. 

14.  Ebenezer  Pai melee, 1771  to  1776. 

15.  Thomas  Burgis,  Jr., 1776101799. 

16.  John  H.  Fowler, 1799  to  1801. 

17.  Samuel  Fowler, 1801101835. 

18.  Reuben  Stone, 1835101838. 

19.  Joel  Tuttle, 183810  1843. 

20.  Henry  W.  Chittenden, 1843  to  1848. 

21.  Edward  R.  Landon, 1848. 


1  Nov.  10,  1687^  John  Collins,  Sen.,  was  empowered  to  assist  Mr.  Rossiter  in  the 
work  of  recording  during  the  time  of  the  providential  weakness  of  Mr.  Rossiter. 


APPENDIX. 


A. 

The  Articles  of  Confederation  for  the  Jurisdiction  of 
New  Haven. 

At  a  General  Court  held  at  New  Haven  for  the  Jurisdiction,  the  ayth  of 
October,  1643. 

PRESENT. 

Magistrates.  Deputies. 

THEOPHILUS  EATON,  Governor.  GEORGE  LAMBERTON,  New  Haven. 

STEPHEN  GOODYEAR,  Deputy.  JOHN  ASTWOOD,  1  M-ir    j 

THOMAS  GREGSON.  JOHN  SHIRMAN,    / 

WILLIAM  FOWLER.  WILL.  LEETE,          \  G  'If    d 

EDWARD  TAPP.  SAM  :  DISBROUGH,    J 

RICH  :  GILDERSLEEVE,     1  c        c    , 
,         „.  v  Stamford. 

JOHN  WHITMORE, 

1.  It  was  agreed   and   concluded,   as  a  fundamental   order   not  to  be  disputed  or 
questioned  hereafter,  that  none  shall  be  admitted  to   be  free  burgesses  in  any  of  the 
plantations  within  this  jurisdiction   for  the  future,   but  such  planters  as  are   members 
of  some  or  other  of  the  approved  churches  in    New  England,  nor  shall  any  but  such 
free  burgesses  have  any  vote  in  any  election  (the  six  present  freemen  at   Milford  en- 
joying the  liberty   with  the  cautions  agreed).1      Nor   shall  any  power  or  trust  in  the 
ordering  of  any  civil  affairs  be  at  any  time  put  into  the  hands  of  any  other  than  such 
church  members,  though   as  free  planters  all   have  right  to  their  inheritance  and  to 
commerce,  according  to  such   grants,  orders   and   laws  as  shall  be  made  concerning 
the  same. 

2.  All  such  free  burgesses  shall  have  power  in  each  town  or  plantation  within  this 


1  Milford  having  previously  admitted,  as  free  burgesses,  six  planters  who  were  not  in  church- 
fellowship,  met  some  difficulty  in  securing  admission  into  the  confederation  ;  but,  having  pro- 
mised that  these  six  should  not  hereafter  be  chosen  as  deputies  or  into  any  public  trust,  for  the 
confederation,  nor  vote  personally  or  by  proxy  at  an  election  of  magistrates,  and  that  in  the  future 
no  one  would  be  made  a  free  burgess  but  church  members,  it  was  received,  October  1},  164},  as 
a  member  of  the  jurisdiction. 


184  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

jurisdiction  to  choose  fit  and  able  men,  from  amongst  themselves,  being  church 
members  as  before,  to  be  the  ordinary  judges,  to  hear  and  determine  all  inferior 
causes,  whether  civil  or  criminal,  provided  that  no  civil  cause  to  be  tried  in  any  of 
these  plantation  courts  in  value  exceed  twenty  pounds,  and  that  the  punishment  in 
such  criminals,  according  to  the  mind  of  God,  revealed  in  his  word,  touching  such 
offences,  do  not  exceed  stocking  and  whipping,  or  if  the  fine  be  pecuniary,  that  it 
exceed  not  five  pounds.  In  which  court  the  magistrate  or  magistrates,  if  any  be 
chosen  by  the  free  burgesses  of  the  jurisdiction  for  that  plantation,  shall  sit  and  assist 
with  due  respect  to  their  place,  and  sentence  shall  pass  according  to  the  vote  of  the 
major  part  of  each  such  court,  only  if  the  parties,  or  any  of  them,  be  not  satisfied  with 
the  justice  of  such  sentences  or  executions,  appeals  or  complaints  maybe  made  from 
and  against  these  courts  to  the  court  of  magistrates  for  the  whole  jurisdiction. 

3.  All  such  free  burgesses  through  the  whole  jurisdiction,  shall  have  a  vote  in  the 
election  of  all  magistrates,  whether  governor,  deputy  governor,    or  other  magistrates, 
with  a  vote  for  a  treasurer,  a  secretary  and  a  marshal,  etc.,  for  the  jurisdiction.     And  for 
the  ease  of  those  free  burgesses,  especially  in  the  more  remote  plantations,  they    may 
vote  by    proxy  in  these  elections,  though  absent,   their   votes   being  sealed  up  in   the 
presence  of  the  free  burgesses  themselves,  that  their  several  liberties  may  be  preserved, 
and  their  votes  directed   according  to  their  own  particular  light,   and  these  free  bur- 
gesses may,  at  every  election,  choose  so  many  magistrates  for  each  plantation,  as  the 
weight  of  affairs  may  require,  and  as  they  shall  find    fit  men  for  that   trust.     But 
it  is  provided  and  agreed,   that  no  plantation  shall  at  any  election  be  left   destitute 
of  a  magistrate  if  they   desire  one   to  be  chosen  out   of  those   in  church   fellowship 
with  them. 

4.  All  the  magistrates  for  the  whole  jurisdiction  shall  meet  twice  a  year  at  New 
Haven,  namely,  the  Monday  immediately  before  the  sitting  of  the  two  fixed  general 
courts  hereafter  mentioned,  to  keep  a  court  called  the  court  of  magistrates,  for  the 
trial  of  weighty  and  capital  cases,  whether  civil  or  criminal,  above  those  limited  to 
the  ordinary   judges  in  the  particular  plantations,    and    to  receive    and  try   appeals 
brought  unto  them   from  the   aforesaid  plantation  courts,  and  to  call  all  the  inhabit- 
ants, whether  free  burgesses,  free  planters  or  others,  to     account  for  the  breach  of 
any  laws  established,    and  for  other  misdemeanors,   and   to  censure  them   according 
to  the  quality  of  the  offence,  in  which  meetings  of  magistrates,  less  than  four  shall 
not  be  accounted  a  court,  nor  shall  they  carry  on  any  business  as  a  court ;  but  it  is 
expected  and  required,  that  all  the  magistrates  in  this  jurisdiction  do  constantly  attend 
the  public  service  at    the  times  before  mentioned,  and  if  any  of  them  be  absent  at 
one  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon  on  Monday  aforesaid,  when  the  court  shall  sit,  or 
if  any  of  them  depart  the  town  without  leave,  while  the  court  sits,  he  or  they  shall 
pay  for  any  such  default,  twenty  shillings  fine,  unless  some  providence  of  God  occa- 
sion the  same,  which  the  court  of  magistrates  shall  judge  of  from  time  to  time,  and 


APPENDIX.  185 

all  sentences  in  this  court  shall  pass  by  the  vote  of  the  major  part  of  magistrates 
therein,  but  from  this  court  of  magistrates,  appeals  and  complaints  may  be  made  and 
brought  to  the  general  court  as  the  last  and  highest  for  this  jurisdiction  ;  but  in  all 
appeals  or  complaints  from,  or  to,  what  court  soever,  due  costs  and  damages  shall  be 
paid  by  him  or  them  that  make  appeal  or  complaint  without  just  cause. 

5.  Besides  the  plantation  courts  and  court  of  magistrates,  there  shall  be  a  general 
court  for  the  jurisdiction,  which  shall  consist  of  the  governor,  deputy  governor  and 
all  the  magistrates  within  the  jurisdiction,  and  two  deputies  for  every  plantation  in 
the  jurisdiction,  which  deputies  shall  from  time  to  time  be  chosen  against  the  ap- 
proach of  any  such  general  court,  by  the  aforesaid  free  burgesses,  and  sent  with  due 
certificate  to  assist  in  the  same,  all  which,  both  governor  and  deputy  governor,  mag- 
istrates and -deputies  shall  have  their  vote  in  the  said  court.  This  general  court  shall 
always  sit  at  New  Haven  (unless  upon  weighty  occasions  the  general  court  see  cause 
for  a  time  to  sit  elsewhere),  and  shall  assemble  twice  every  year,  namely,  the  first 
Wednesday  in  April,  and  the  last  Wednesday  in  October,  in  the  latter  of  which 
courts,  the  governor,  the  deputy  governor  and  all  the  magistrates  for  the  whole  juris- 
diction with  a  treasurer,  a  secretary  and  marshal,  shall  yearly  be  chosen  by  all  the 
free  burgesses  before  mentioned,  besides  which  two  fixed  courts,  the  governor,  or  in  his 
absence  the  deputy  governor,  shall  have  power  to  summon  a  general  court  at  any  other 
time,  as  the  urgent  and  extraordinary  occasions  of  the  jurisdiction  may  require,  and  at 
all  general  courts,  whether  ordinary  or  extraordinary,  the  governor  and  deputy  governor, 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  magistrates  for  the  jurisdiction,  with  the  deputies  for  the  several 
plantations,  shall  sit  together,  till  the  affairs  of  the  jurisdiction  be  dispatched  or  may 
safely  be  respited,  and  if  any  of  the  said  magistrates  or  deputies  shall  either  be  absent  at 
the  first  sitting  of  the  said  general  court  (unless  some  providence  of  God  hinder,  which 
the  said  court  shall  judge  of),  or  depart,  or  absent  themselves  disorderly  before  the 
court  be  finished,  he  or  they  shall  each  of  them  pay  twenty  shillings  fine,  with  due 
considerations  of  further  aggravations  if  there  shall  be  cause;  which  general  court 
shall,  with  all  care  and  diligence  provide  for  the  maintenance  of  the  purity  of  reli- 
gion, and  shall  suppress  the  contrary,  according  to  their  best  light  from  the  word  of 
God,  and  all  wholesome  and  sound  advice,  which  shall  be  given  by  the  elders  and 
churches  in  the  jurisdiction,  so  far  as  may  concern  their  civil  power  to  deal  therein. 

Secondly,  they  shall  have  power  to  make  and  repeal  laws,  and,  while  they  are  in 
force,  to  require  execution  of  them  in  all  the  several  plantations. 

Thirdly,  to  impose  an  oath  upon  all  the  magistrates,  for  the  faithful  discharge  of 
the  trust  committed  to  them,  according  to  their  best  abilities,  and  to  call  them  to  ac- 
count for  the  breach  of  any  laws  established,  or  for  other  misdemeanors,  and  to  cen- 
sure them,  as  the  quality  of  the  offence  shall  require. 

Fourthly,  to  impose  an  oath  of  fidelity  and  due  subjection  to  the  laws  upon  all  the 
free  burgesses,  free  planters,  and  other  inhabitants  within  the  whole  jurisdiction. 

24 


l86  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Fifthly,  to  settle  and  levy  rates  and  contributions  upon  all  the  several  plantations, 
for  the  public  service  of  the  jurisdiction. 

Sixthly,  to  hear  and  determine  all  causes,  whether  civil  or  criminal,  which  by  ap- 
peal or  complaint  shall  be  orderly  brought  unto  them  from  any  of  the  other  courts,  or 
from  any  of  the  other  plantations.  In  all  which,  with  whatsoever  else  shall  fall 
within  their  cognizance  or  judicature,  they  shall  proceed  according  to  the  scriptures, 
which  is  the  rule  of  all  righteous  laws  and  sentences,  and  nothing  shall  pass  as  an 
act  of  the  general  court  but  by  the  consent  of  the  major  part  of  magistrates,  and 
the  greater  part  of  deputies.  —  New  Haven  Colonial  Records,  1638-1 649,  pp.  HZ— 1 1 6. 

B. 

Admission  of  Guilford  into  the  Jurisdiction  of  Connecticut. 

At  the  general  assembly  or  court  of  election  held  at  Hartford,  October  9,  i66z. 

Several  inhabitants  of  Guilford  tendering  themselves,  their  persons  and  estates, 
under  the  government  and  protection  of  this  colony.  This  court  doth  d.clare  that 
they  do  accept  and  own  them  as  members  of  this  colony,  and  shall  be  ready  to  afford 
what  protection  is  necessary.  And  this  court  doth  advise  the  said  persons  to  carry 
peaceably  and  religiously  in  their  places  towards  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants,  that  yet 
have  not  submitted  in  like  manner.  And  also  to  pay  their  just  dues  unto  the  minis- 
ter of  their  town  ;  and  also  all  public  charges  due  to  this  day. —  Col.  Rec.  of  Con- 
necticut, 1636-1665,  page  387. 

c. 

Freemen  of  Guilford  in  1669. 

September  24,  '69.  A  list  of  the  freemen  of  Guilford,  drawn  up  by  the  constable 
and  townsmen  according  to  the  order  of  the  court. 

Mr.  Leete,  Georg  Hiland, 

George  Huburd,  Daniell  Huburd, 

Mr.  Rositar,  John  Bishup, 

John  Fowlar,  Thomas  Chitendon, 

William  Johnson,  Thomas  Mecoke, 

John  Scranton,  John  Parmarly, 

Thomas  Cooke,  Senior,  Abraham  Cruttenden  Jun., 

John  Steuens,  Daniell  Benton, 

Edward  Benton,  Thomas  Cruttenden, 

Abraham  Crutenden  Senior,  Daniell  Euatts, 

John  Graue,  John  Chittenden, 


APPENDIX.  l8y 

John  Hobson,  Nathaniell  Chittenden, 

William  Ston,  Richard  Bristo, 

John  Ston,  Joseph  Dudly, 

William  Seword,  Thomas  Cooke  Jun., 

Richard  Gutrich,  Henery  Crean, 

John  Johnson,  Jonn  Hill, 

John  Shedar,  John  Nortun. 

John  Hobson,    ~| 

John  Graue,        [-Townsmen. 

Thomas  Cooke,  J 

John  Stone,  Constable. 
Col.  Rec.  of  Connecticut,  1665-1667,  page  525. 


D. 

Permission  to  purchase  Falcon  Island. 

At  a  General  Court  held  at  Hartford,  October  18,  1677,  the  following  permission 
was  granted  : 

This  court  grants  Mr.  Andrew  Leet  liberty  to  purchase  Falcon  Island  and  Goose 
Island  for  himself  and  his  heirs,  which  said  islands  lie  before  or  near  Guilford. —  Col. 
Rec.  of  Connecticut,  1665-1677,  page  325. 

E. 

Efforts  made  to  create  Guilford  County. 

A  bill  for  making  a  new  county  to  be  called  Guilford  county,  and  to  consist  of 
Saybrook,  Killingworth,  Guilford,  Durham  and  Branford,  was  passed  in  the  low?r 
house,  October,  1718.  Journal  L.  H.  Oct.  22,  1718.  The  project  was  revived  in 
October,  1728,  and  in  May,  1736,  when  a  bill  to  erect  a  new  county,  composed  of 
the  foregoing  towns  with  Haddam,  having  been  largely  debated,  passed  the  lower 
house.  Journals,  1728,  1736,  Civil  Officers  etc.,  II,  331.  Again,  in  May,  1744, 
and  May,  1753,  similar  bills  passed  the  lower  house.  Civil  Officers,  etc.,  Ill,  62,  393. 
Col.  Rec.  of  Connecticut,  1717-1725,  Note  to  pages  141-2. 


l88  HISTORY    OF    CUILFORD. 

F. 

St.  Albari  s  Lodge  No.  38,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

This  lodge  was  instituted  in  colonial  days  by  virtue  of  a  charter  issued  by  the 
Provincial  Grand  Master  for  North  America,  of  which  the  following  is  an  accurate 
copy: 

John  Reive,  Grand  Master. 

TO  ALL  AND  EVERY  our  Right  Worshipful  and  Loving  Brethren,  Free  and 
Accepted  MASONS  now  Residing  or  that  may  hereafter  Reside  in  Guilford  in  the 
Colony  of  Connecticut  in  New  England.  We  John  Roive  Esquire,  Provincial  Grand 
Master  of  the  Antient  and  Honourable  Society  of  Free  and  Accepted  MASONS  for  all 
North  America,  where  no  other  Grand  Master  is  Appointed, 

Send  Greeting. 

WHEREAS,  Application  hath  been  made  unto  us  by  Timothy  Ward,  Bilious 
Ward,  David  Landon,  Timothy  Ludinton,  Eber  Waterhouse,  Asher  Fairchild, 
Benjamin  Stone,  Giles  Trubee  and  William  Johnson,  Free  and  Accepted  MASONS 
now  residing  in  Guilford  aforesaid  ;  setting  forth  that  they  live  at  a  great  Distance 
from  any  regular  Lodge,  and  are  deprived  of  the  Benefits  of  MASONRY  on  that  account. 
Therefore  humbly  Request  that  they  may  be  made  a  regular  Lodge,  and  appoint  our 
Brother  Mr.  Bilious  Ward  to  be  the  first  Master  of  the  same,  and  do  promise  strictly 
to  observe  all  the  Laws  and  Regulations  of  MASONRY,  and  to  the  utmost  of  their 
Power  Support  and  Contribute  to  the  well  being  of  the  Craft. 

NOW  THEREFORE  KNOW  YE,  That  we  of  the  great  Trust,  Power  and 
Authority,  reposed  in  us  by  his  Grace  the  Most  Worshipful  Henry  Somerset,  Duke  of 
Beaufort,  etc.,  Grand  Master  of  MASONS,  have  Constituted  and  appointed  our  Right 
Worshipful  and  well  beloved  Brother  Mr.  Bilious  Ward  to  be  the  first  Master  of  the 
Lodge  at  Guilford  aforesaid,  and  do  hereby  impower  him  to  Congregate  the  Brethren 
together,  and  form  into  a  Regular  Lodge,  he  taking  Special  Care  that  all,  and  every 
Member  thereof,  and  all  transient  Persons  admitted  therein  have  been,  or  shall  be 
regular  made  MASONS  :  and  that  he  appoint  two  Wardens,  and  other  Officers  to  a 
Lodge  Appertaining  for  the  due  Regulation  of  said  Lodge  for  One  Year ;  at  the  end 
of  which  he  shall  Nominate  a  new  Master  to  be  approved  by  the  Lodge,  at  least  two 
thirds  of  the  Members  in  his  favour,  and  said  new  Master  shall  Nominate  and  Ap- 
point two  Wardens  and  a  Secretary  for  the  ensuing  year,  also  a  Treasurer,  who  must 
have  the  Votes  of  two-thirds  of  the  Members  in  his  favor;  and  so  the  same  Course 
Annually. 


APPENDIX.  189 

AND  WE  DO  HEREBY  GIVE  to  said  Lodge  all  the  Privileges  and  Authority 
of  other  Regular  Lodges,  Requiring  them  to  observe  all  and  every  of  the  Regulations 
contained  in  the  Printed  Book  of  Constitutions  (except  such  as  have  been,  or  may  be 
Repealed  at  any  Quarterly  Communication  or  other  General  Meeting  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  in  London),  to  be  kept  and  observed,  as  also  all  such  other  Rules  and  In- 
structions as  may  from  Time  to  Time  be  transmitted  to  them  by  Us,  or  our  Deputy, 
or  Successors  to  either  for  the  Time  being  ;  And  that  they  do  Annually  send  an  Ac- 
count in  Writing  to  Us,  or  our  Deputy,  or  Successors  to  either  of  Us  for  the  Time 
being,  of  the  Names  of  the  Members  of  said  Lodge,  and  their  Place  of  Abode,  with 
the  Days  and  Place  of  Meeting,  with  any  other  things  they  may  think  proper  to 
Communicate  for  the  benefit  of  MASONRY;  And  that  they  do  Annually  keep  the 
Feast  of  St.-  John  the  Baptist,  or  St.  John  the  Evangelist,'or  both,  and  Dine  together 
on  said  Day  or  Days,  or  as  near  either  of  them  as  shall  be  most  Convenient :  And 
lastly,  that  they  do  Regularly  Communicate  with  the  Grand  Lodge  in  Boston,  by 
sending  to  the  Quarterly  Communications  such  Charity  as  their  Lodge  shall  think 
fit,  for  the  Relief  of  Poor  Brethren,  with  the  Names  of  those  that  Contributed  the 
same,  that  in  case  any  such  may  come  to  want  Relief,  they  may  have  the  preference 
to  others. 

GIVEN  under  Our  Hand  and  Seal  of  MASONRY  at  BOSTON  the  loth  day  of  July 
A.  D.,  1771,  and  of  MASONRY  5771. 

RICHARD  GRIDLEY,  D.  G.  M. 
JOHN  CUTLER,  S.  G.  W. 
ABR'M  SAVAGE,  J.  G.  M. 
BY  THE  GRAND 

MASTER'S  COMMAND, 

Tho.  Brown,  Gr.  Sec'ry. 

In  the  early  history  of  this  Lodge,  the  convivial  element  seems  not  to  have  been 
lost  sight  of,  and  the  account-books  tell,  we  are  informed,  of  taxes  frequently  levied 
at  its  meetings  to  meet  the  expense  of  Flip  purchased  for  its  members.  Indeed  the 
flip -mug,  which  was  used  on  such  occasions  of  solemn  conviviality,  is  said  still  to  be 
in  existence,  although  no  longer  employed  as  in  former  days. 

The  regular  communications  of  the  Lodge  are  held  on  the  first  and  third  Monday 
nights  of  each  month  at  Masonic  Hall. 


190  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


Past  Masters  of  St.  Alb  an  s  Lodge. 

1771,  z,  3, Billious  Ward. 

J774,  S» Eli  Foote. 

1797, Isaac  Chalker. 

1 798, George  Cleveland. 

1799, Oliver  Bray. 

1800, Jedediah  Lathrop. 

1801,  .    George  Cleveland. 

1 802,  3 Joel  Griffing. 

1804,  5,  6, Jeremiah  Parmelee. 

1807, William  Spencer. 

1808,  9, ...    Peletiah  Leete. 

1810, Thomas  Powers. 

1811, [eremiah  Parmelee. 

1812,  3,. Jedediah  Lathrop. 

1814, Abraham  I.  Chittenden. 

1815,  1 6, Joseph  Griffing. 

1817,18,19, Jedediah  Lathrop. 

1820,  1,2,  3,    Amos  Seward. 

1 824, Merritt  Foote. 

1825,  6, Jedediah  Lathrop. 

1827, Amos  Seward. 

1851, Charles  A.  Ball. 

1852,     C.  L.  Crowel. 

1853, Charles  W.  Miller. 

1854, C.  L.  Crowel. 

1855,  6,  7,  8,  9,  60,  i,  2, Asahel  B.  Morse. 

1863,4,5,6, Henry  B.  Stannard. 

1867,8,9, William  T.  Dowd. 

1870,    i, Henry  B.  Stannard. 

1872,  3, William  T.  Dowd. 

1874,  5, C.  Henry  Norton. 

1876, William  T.  Dowd. 

1877, C.  Henry  Norton. 

The  records  of  the  lodge  having  been  destroyed  by  the  fire  at  Music   Hall,  1862, 
the  names  of  its  masters  from  1775  to  1797  cannot  be  furnished. 

The  charter  was  revoked  in  1827,  and  the  lodge  resuscitated  in  1851. 


APPENDIX. 


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HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 


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194  HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

H. 

The  Guilford  Agricultural  Society. 

This  society,  composed  largely  of  Guilford  farmers  and  others  interested  in  agri- 
culture and  horticulture,  has  been  in  existence  about  sixteen  years,  although  only 
acting  under  a  permanent  organization  since  1872,  and  incorporated  in  1874.  Its 
object  is  to  awaken  and  promote  an  intelligent  interest  in  agricultural  and  kindred 
pursuits. 

It  has  held  fourteen  annual  agricultural  and  industrial  exhibitions,  usually  during 
the  latter  part  of  September  or  the  beginning  of  October.  These  attract  large  num- 
bers of  visitors  from  Guilford  and  the  adjoining  towns,  affording  opportunity  for  an 
examination  of  the  articles  exhibited  and  a  pleasant  exchange  of  views  on  agricul- 
tural and  industrial  subjects.  Competition  at  these  exhibitions,  or  fairs,  is  ordinarily 
confined  to  Guilford  and  the  neighboring  towns. 

The  officers  for  1877  were  as  follows  : 

President, 
WILLIAM  E.  WEED. 

Vice-Presidentf. 
JEROME  COAN,  SIDNEY  W.  LEETE. 

Secretary. 
J.  W.  NORTON. 

Treasurer. 
GEORGE  B.  SPENCER. 

Directors. 

RICHARD  H.  WOODRUFF,  EVERETT  L.  DUDLEY, 

RICHARD  W.  STARR,  DANIEL  L.  SPENCER, 

LEWIS  FOWLER,  ROGER  C.  LEETE, 

ARTHUR  S.  FOWLER,  H.  FRANCIS  DUDLEY, 

E.  ROGER  DAVIS,  WILLIAM  H.  LEK, 

CHARLES  L.  BENTON,  HENRY  H.   GRISWOLD, 

DUDLEY  CHITTENDEN,  GEORGE  W.  DUDLEY, 
WILBUR  F.  ROSSITER. 

Chief  Mar  thai. 
RICHARD  F.  KELSEY. 


APPENDIX.  195 

I. 

United  Workers  for  Public  Improvement. 

This  association,  familiarly  known  by  its  initials  as  the  U.  W.  P.  I.,  was  organized, 
February  9th,  1874.  Its  objects  are  defined  in  the  constitution,  as  being  the  rais- 
ing of  funds  to  repair  the  walks,  light  the  streets,  improve  the  condition  of  the 
village  Green,  and  extend  the  work  of  beautifying  and  improving  the  village  as  ne- 
cessity may  demand  and  funds  shall  permit.  The  active  membership  is  composed 
of  ladies  and  numbers  one  hundred  and  two;  gentlemen  are  admitted  to  honorary 
membership,  and  thirty  have  availed  themselves  of  the  privilege. 

The  funds  to  carry  out  the  general  designs  of  the  association  are  raised  from  the 
annual  dues  for  membership,  special  subscriptions  and  donations,  the  proceeds  of 
occasional  concerts,  lectures  and  exhibitions,  the  proceeds  of  ice  cream  festivals  and 
restaurants  improvised  on  stated  public  occasions. 

It  has  caused  to  be  erected  eighty-eight  lamp  posts  throughout  the  village  and 
kept  the  same  number  of  lights  burning  during  nights  requiring  artificial  illumination 
for  the  benefit  of  the  traveler,  supervised  the  preservation  and  improvement  of  the 
walks  and  grass  of  the  village  Green,  and  in  a  general  way  encouraged  the  planting 
of  trees  and  ornamentation  of  the  homes  of  the  good  people  of  Guilford.  This 
has  been  done  by  personal  as  well  as  united  efforts,  in  which  the  members  have 
not  hesitated  to  take  hold  of  the  work  with  their  own  hands.  The  annual  raking 
of  the  Green  in  the  spring  by  the  ladies  is  quite  a  fete  day,  and  is  an  occasion  of  much 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  to  all  the  citizens. 

An  auxiliary  to  the  U.  W.  P.  I.,  formed  May  28,  1877,  having  as  its  object 
the  charitable  design  of  relieving  suffering  in  the  community,  is  expected  to  be  a 
most  active  and  useful  branch  of  the  association. 

The  officers  of  the  U.  W.  P.  I.,  elected  February  gth,   1877,  are  as  follows: 

President. 
Mrs.  B.  B.  PARKHURST. 

Vice  Presidents. 

Mrs.   A.  G.  HULL,  Mrs.  HENRY  HALE, 

"      LYDIA  COAN,  "      EDWARD  GRISWOLD, 

"      HARVEY  LEETE,  "      HART  LANDON, 

"      A.  A.  STONE,  "      R.  L.  FOWLER, 

"      CHARLES  GRISWOLD,  Miss  LIZZIE  SPENCER. 

Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
Miss  SARAH  BROWN. 


196 


HISTORY    OF    GUILFORD. 

Executive  Committee. 

Mrs.  RICHARD  SPENCER,  Mrs.   GEO.  C.  KIMBERLY, 

"  Hv.  E.  NORTON,  "       N.  F.  LEETE, 

"  E.  B.  FOWLER,  "       JAMES  COOK, 

"  H.  D.  CHITTENDEN,  ''       AMOS    CHITTENDEN. 

Committee  on  the   Village   Green. 

Mrs.   RIPLEY  BAYLIES,  Mrs.   HELEN   PARMELEE, 

Miss  LYDIA  D.  CHITTENDEN. 

Committee  on  Care  of  Lamps. 

Mrs,  E.  B.  FOWLER,  Miss  NETTIE  FOWLER, 

"       A.   G.  HULL,  Mrs.   HY.  E.  NORTON. 


The  manuscript  of  the  History  of  Gut/ford,  prepared  after  many  years  of  loving 
study  of  its  old  records  and  the  lives  of  its  early  settlers  by  the  late  Judge  Ralph 
D.  Smith,  with  such  annotations  and  additions  as  the  editor  was  able  to  make,  has 
been  presented  by  his  heirs  to  the  U.  W.  P.  I.,  with  the  hope  that  its  publication 
would  contribute  to  the  fostering  of  a  genuine  pride  in  the  citizens  of  a  village  that 
has  borne  an  honorable  name  for  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  years,  and  that  any 
profits  resulting  from  its  sale,  would  be  applied  to  the  ornamentation  and  improve- 
ment of  old  Guilford. 

It  is  proper  to  add  that  Miss  Nettie  Fowler  and  Mrs.  Ripley  Baylies  constitute 
the  committee  appointed  by  the  association  to  secure  subscribers  and  superintend  the 
distribution  of  the  book. 


INDEX 


Adams,  Andrew,   191. 

Adams,  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.,  137. 

Address  to  Guilford,  an,  124,  125. 

Agicomook,  9  ;  or  Stony  creek,  73. 

Agricultural  society,    194. 

Ahaddon,  70;  alias  Joshua,  71,  72. 

Aiasomut,  70. 

Ajicomick  river,  65. 

Albany,  97. 

Alden,  Miss  Almira,  112. 

Alderbrook  cemetery,  112,  132,  141. 

Alexandria,  Va.,  193. 

Allen's      American     Biographical      Die 

tionary,  69. 
Allyn,  John,  80. 
Alms  house,  58. 
Ambler,  Rev.  John  L.,  118. 
American       Biographical         Dictionary, 

Allen's,  69. 
American    Peace  Society,   corresponding 

secretary  of,  113. 
Amherst  college,  99. 
Andrews,  Joseph,  85. 
Andross,  E.,  160. 
Andross,  Edmund,  20. 
Andross,  Major,  123. 
Antietam,  Md.,  191,  192. 
Apostle  to  the  Indians,  132. 
Appendix,  A,    183-186;     B,    186;    C, 

186,    187;  D,    187;  E,    187;  F, 

188,  189,  190;  G,  191,  192,  1935 

H»  194;  I,  i95»  *96- 
Aquaihamish,  a  blind  Indian,  70. 


Arlington,  130. 

Arlington  Heights,  Va.,  191. 

Articles  of  agreement,  66-68  ;  of  con- 
federation for  the  jurisdiction  of 
New  Haven,  183-186. 

Ashawmutt,  67. 

Ashford,  99. 

Asia  Minor,  U.  S.  consul  to,  136. 

Assembly,  no  meeting  of,  160. 

Assoweion,  70. 

Astor,  John  Jacob,  132. 

Astor,  William  B.,  132. 

Astwood,  John,  183. 

Athamonassett  river,  63,  71. 

Athens,  Ga.,  college  at,  128. 

Athol,  Mass.,  113,  114. 

Attestation,  An,  to  the  Church  History  of 
New  England,  93. 

Atwater,  Ira,  87. 

Austin,  Francis,  16. 

Austin,  Stephen,  16. 

Austin,  city  of,  16. 

Avon,  42. 

Ayres,  W.  H.,  85. 

Backus,  Dr.  Chas.,  of  Somers,  97. 

Bacon,  Rev.  Leonard,  D.D.,  141. 

Baily,  John,  28. 

Baldwin,   32. 

Baldwin,  Abraham,  128. 

Baldwin,    Rev.    Abraham    C.,    83,    84, 

118. 
Baldwin,  Benjamin,  176. 


INDEX. 


Baldwin,  Rev.  David,  108. 
Baldwin,  Judge  Henry,  97. 
Baldwin,  John,  20,  23,  24 ;  took  the 

oath  of  fidelity,  20. 
Baldwin,  Nathaniel,  30,  joy. 
Baldwin,  Samuel,  28. 
Baldwin,  Rev.  Dr.  Theron,   137. 
Baldwin,  Timothy,  30. 
Baldwin,  Wm.  W.,   147. 
Baldwin  county,  Ga.,  129. 
Ball,  Charles  A.,  190. 
Banks,  Rev.  Geo.  W.,  6,  85,  115,  142. 
Baptist  church  organized,   no. 
Baptists,  number  in  Guilford,  1838,  116. 
Barber's  Conn.  Hist.  Collections,  49,  101. 
Barker,  Elizur,  144. 
Barker,  Jacob,  132. 
Barker,  S.  A.,  146. 
Barker,  Samuel,  144. 
Barker,  Samuel  A.,  ill. 
Barnes,  Timothy,  50. 
Barnum,  Henry  S.,  85. 
Bartlett,  Augustus  E.,  149. 
Bartlett,  Daniel,   30. 
Bartlett,  David,  180. 
Bartlett,  Ebenezer,  105. 
Bartlett,  Edwin  W.,  150. 
Bartlett,  George,    13,  25,  30,   105,  no, 

JI9>  *54,  IS6,  157,182. 
Bartlett,  J.  H.,  146. 
Bartlett,  John,   119,  157. 
Bartlett,  John  2d,  147. 
Bartlett,  John  H.,  no,  178,  180. 
Bartlett,  Joseph,  107. 
Bartlett,  Marcus  B.,  178. 
Bartlett,  Nathaniel,  149. 
Bartlett,  Richard,  148,  179. 
Bartlett,  Stephen  R.,  150,  179,  180. 
Bartlett,  William  Nelson,  191. 
Basaltic  cliffs,  44. 
Bayley,  John,  29. 
Baylies,  Mrs.  Ripley,  196. 


Beattie,  John,  41,  148. 

Beaufort,  Henry  Somerset,  Duke  of,  188. 

Beckwith,  Mathew,  29. 

Bedloe's  island,  N.  Y.,  191. 

Beecher,  Dr.   Lyman,  97. 

Beers,  Henry  A.,    191. 

Bellamy,  Mathew,  25,  81. 

Belleville    ave.    Congregational    church, 

115. 
Bennett,    Rev.    Lorenzo    T.,    D.D.,    6, 

109,  142. 

Benton,  Amos  N.,  147. 
Benton,  Andrew,  27. 
Benton,  Andrew  J.,  142. 
Benton,  Charles  H.,  191. 
Benton,  Charles  L.,    194. 
Benton,  Dan.,  24. 
Benton,  Daniel,  27,  107,  186. 
Benton,  Edward,  13,  15,  24,  27,  186. 
Benton,  Henry  ad,  180. 
Benton,  Joel  Canfield,  191. 
Benton,  Joel  Edward,  191. 
Benton,  Joseph,  30. 
Benton,  Lot,  place,  87. 
Benton,  Raphael  Ward,  191. 
Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  32. 
Berlin,  143. 

Bethlehem,  Conn.,  115. 
Betts,  Thomas,  13,  14,  25,  59. 
Birch,  Heman,  137. 
Bishop,  Charles  Augustus,  191. 
Bishop,  Ebenezer,  30,  108. 
Bishop,  David,  105. 
Bishop,  E.  C.,  20.. 
Bishop,  Enos,  48. 
Bishop,  James,  154. 
Bishop,   John,  9,    10,   12,  23,    28,  52, 

54,  59,  6z>  65>  66»  IS1,  l86- 
Bishop,  John  jr.,  25,  27. 
Bishop,  John  sen.,  13,   15,  27. 
Bishop,  Martin  C.,  150. 
Bishop,  Samuel,  30. 


INDEX. 


I99 


Bishop,  widow  Susanna,  29. 

Bishop,  Stephen,  14,  15,  25,  27,  78,  79. 

Blackley,  Samuel,  14. 

Blake,  Rev.  E.  A.,  in. 

Blake,  George  W.,  191. 

Blanford,  Mass.,  99. 

Blatchley,  Lewis  Wm.,  191. 

Blatchley,  Samuel,  26;  lots  and  accom- 
modations, 23. 

Bloody  cove,  47. 

Bluff  head,  43,  45. 

Booth,  Wilson,  87. 

Boreman,  William,  14,  15,  26,  27;  died, 
26. 

Bowers,  John,  19,  93. 

Bowers,  Rev.  John,  27. 

Bowers,  Mr.,  94. 

Boston,  18,  38,  39,  93. 

Bowdoin  college,  118. 

Boynton,  Rev.  George  M.,  115. 

Bradley,  Abraham  3d,  124. 

Bradley,  Ellis  D.,  191. 

Bradley,  Nathan,  21  ;  account  of,  21,  22. 

Bradley,  Stephen,  21,  74. 

Bradley,  Capt.  Stephen,  162. 

Bradley,  Lieut.  Stephen,  161. 

Bradley,  Sergt.  Stephen,  72,  73,  77. 

Brainerd,  Rev.  Israel,  97. 

Brainerd,  Mr.,  104. 

Branford,  7,  9,  22,  26,  27,  32,  43,  47, 
116,  142,  143,  144,  187;  bounds, 
77;  Menunkatuck  Indians  at,  ii. 

Bray,  Oliver,  190. 

Bray,  Thomas  R.,  149. 

Bray,  Thomas  Wells,  A.  M.,  pastor  of 
the  Third  church  in  Guilford,  96. 

Bray,  Rev.  Thomas  Wells,  117. 

Brewer,  Rev.  Daniel,  102. 

Bridgeport,  142. 

Bridgeport,  Conn.,  1 1 8. 

Bridge  street,  18. 

Bristo,  Richard,  187. 


Bristow,  Richard,  13,  24,  59. 

Bristol,  England,  19. 

British  parliament,  member  of,  121. 

British  ship,  a,  in  the  sound,  49. 

Broad  street,  18. 

Broadway  landing,  Va.,  192. 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  84,  115. 

Brookfield,  137. 

Brooks,  David,  42. 

Brown,  S.,  171. 

Brown,  Miss  Sarah,  195. 

Brown,  Tho.,  189. 

Brown,  William,  174. 

Browne,  Mr.,  129. 

Brownell,  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  Church, 

109. 

Bryan,  Alex.,  154. 
Bryant,  William  Cullen,  134. 
Buildings,  number  of,  in  the  village,  1838, 

35- 

Bullard,  Henry  B.,  191. 
Burgess,  Rev.  Nathan  B.,  108. 
Burgess,  Thomas,    105. 
Burgis,  John,  146,  170,  171,   172,  173. 
Burgis,  John,   bill  of  mortality  kept  by, 

39.  4°- 

Burgis,  Deacon  John,  145. 
Burgis,  Jno.  Randolph,  191. 
Burgis,  Thomas,  no,  182. 
Burgis,  Deacon  Thos.  jr.,  145. 
Burton,  121. 
Bushnell,  Elizabeth,  20. 
Bushnell,  Francis,  12,  13,  20,  26. 
Bushnell,  Rev.  Dr.  Horace,  137. 
Butcher,  Daniel,  26. 
Butler,  Rev.  David,  108. 
Butler,  William  Allen,  134. 
By  field,  Maj.,  90. 

Caffinch,  Jno  ,  65,  66. 

Caffinge,  John,  9,  10,  15,  28,  62. 

Caldwell,  Charles,  28. 


2OO 


INDEX. 


Calumet,  the,  editor  of,  113. 

Cambridge,  izi. 

Camp  distemper,  40. 

Canaan,  32. 

Canada,  threatened  invasion  from,  131. 

Canfield,  Joel,  42. 

Canfield,  Dr.  Joel,  146. 

Cape  Breton,  48. 

Centennial  celebration,  141. 

Central  Park,  N.  Y.,  134. 

Cincinnati,      O.,    Second      Presbyterian 

church,  112. 

Chalker,  Alexander,  13,  25. 
Chalker,  Isaac,   190. 
Chamish,  70. 

Chancellorsville,  Va.,  192. 
Charles  I,  120. 
Charleston,  N.  H.,  32. 
Charleston,  S.  C.,  93. 
Chatfield,  Francis,  12,  15. 
Chatfield,  George,  14,  15,  25,  27. 
Chatfield,  Thomas,  13,  15,  26. 
Chatham,  143. 
Chatham,  Conn.,  113. 
Chatham,  N.  Y.,   117. 
Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  191. 
Chester  Factory,  Mass.,  118. 
Chew,  Mr.  Joseph,  49. 
Chicago,  112. 
Chidsey,  Joseph,  30. 
Chidsey,  N.,   174. 
Chidsey,  Nathan,   149. 
Chipman,  Elizabeth  Grey,  113. 
Chipman  Lineage,  the,  114. 
Chipman,  Mr.,  publications  of,  114. 
Chipman,  Richard  Harrison,  114. 
Chipman,  Deacon  Richard  M.,  113. 
Chipman,  Rev.    Richard  Manning,  113. 
Chitendon,  Thomas,  186. 
Chittenden,  Abraham,  105. 
Chittenden,  Abraham  I.,  190. 
Chittenden,  Deacon  Abram,  145. 


Chittenden,  Mrs.  Amos,  196. 

Chittenden,  Anson,  106. 

Chittenden,  Rev.  Charles,  in. 

Chittenden,  Daniel,  146. 

Chittenden,  Dudley,   194. 

Chittenden,  Ebenezer,  i  30. 

Chittenden,  Ebenezer  2d,  130. 

Chittenden,  Gov.,  151. 

Chittenden,  Mrs.  H.  D.,  196. 

Chittenden,  Henry  W.,  83,  84,  146,  182. 

Chittenden,  John,  72,  186." 

Chittenden,  Sergt.  John,  78,  79. 

Chittenden,  John  B.,  106. 

Chittenden,  Levi,   119. 

Chittenden,  Miss  Lydia,  196. 

Chittenden,  Mrs.  Mary  G.,  organ  pre- 
sented by,  88. 

Chittenden,  Nathaniel,  187. 

Chittenden,  Samuel,  105. 

Chittenden,  Simeon,  119. 

Chittenden,  Deacon  Simeon,  149. 

Chittenden,  Simeon  B.,  83,  84. 

Chittenden,  Hon.  Simeon  B.,  142. 

Chittenden,  Thomas,  27,  72,  130. 

Chittenden,  William,  9,  10,  12,  23,  25, 
27,  5*,  54,  59,  6l,  6z»  65,  66,  *3°> 
iS'i  '53,  154,  155,  J56- 

Chittenden  county,  32;  landing,  8. 

Christ  church,  109. 

Christian  Indian  burying  ground,  69. 

Church  of  England,  108  ;  Liturgy  of,  108. 

Clams,  fisheries  of,  8. 

Clapboard  hill,  38,  43  ;   district,    82,  83. 

Claremont,  N.  H.,  32. 

Clark,  Joseph,  30. 

Clark,  Sylvanus,  144. 

Clark,  Thos.,  24. 

Clarke,  Thomas,  20. 

Clay,  Joseph,  27. 

Clements,  Moses  G.,  191. 

Clements,  Nathan  C.,  191. 

Cleveland,  George,  190. 


INDEX. 


2OI 


Coan,  Abraham,  no,  146. 

Coan,  Jerome,  150,  194. 

Coan,  Joseph,  191. 

Coan,  Mrs.  Lydia,  195. 

Coasting  trade,  vessels  employed  in,  33. 

Cohabit,  29,  30. 

Colchester,  42. 

Collins,  Augustus,  172,  173,  174,  175, 
176. 

Collins,  Gen'l  Augustus,  149. 

Collins,  Charles,  no. 

Collins,  Daniel,  30,  104. 

Collins,  John,  22,  23,  28,  30,  78,  79, 
81,  108. 

Collins,  John  sen.,  172. 

Collins,  Mr.  John  2d,  163. 

Collins,  Lewis,  42. 

Collins,  Samuel,  108. 

Collins,  Timothy,  104. 

Collins,  Wm.  R.,  119. 

Colonial  Records,  157. 

Colonial  Records  of  Connecticut,  181, 
187. 

Columbia  college,  N.  Y.,  133. 

Combination,  the,  152. 

Commonasnock,  70. 

Cone,  Henry  D.,  85. 

Congregational  church,  35  ;  ancient,  re- 
moved, 38;  Harwinton,Conn.,  113; 
West  Hartford,  114;  Bethlehem, 
Conn.,  115;  Newark,  N.  J.,  115. 

Congregationalists,  57;  number  in  Guil- 
ford,  1838,  116  ;  in  North  Guilfbrd, 
1838,  120. 

Connecticut,  29,  43,  46,  93,  112,  121  ; 
Halleck's  poem,  6 ;  Western  Re- 
serve, Ohio,  33  ;  guest  from,  37  j 
general  assembly  of,  39  ;  river,  39, 
44,  46,  47  ;  Historical  Collections, 
Barber's,  49;  colony  of,  51  ;  path, 
68,  71 ;  charter  granted  by  general 
court,  77,  80 ; 

26 


Connecticut,  first  meeting  house  in, 
with  a  steeple,  87 ;  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society,  97  ;  Journal,  the, 
101  ;  extract  from,  49;  and  New 
Haven  colonies  united,  156;  admis- 
sion of  Guilford  into  the  jurisdiction 
of,  186. 

Constitutional  convention,  delegates  to, 
177. 

Continental  army,  chaplain  in,  128. 

Cook,  Fairfield,  191. 

Cook,  James,  196. 

Cook,  Thomas,  13,  157,  181. 

Cook,  Wequash,  69. 

Cooke,  Thomas,  12,  24. 

Cooke,  Thomas,  sen.,  186. 

Cooke,  Thomas,  jr.,  187. 

Cooper,  the  novelist,  72. 

Corbin,  Benjamin,  179. 

Corson,  Rev.  Levi  H.,  109. 

Corwin,  James,  107. 

Cosster's,  Mrs.,  physics  and  physical 
drugs,  41. 

Cotton,  Mr.,  90,  91,93. 

Cotton,  John,  19,  93. 

Cotton,  Rev.  John,  93. 

County  court  in  Hartford,  one  of  the  first 
judges  of,  28. 

County  court  for  New  Haven  county 
organized,  154. 

Court  of  probate,  first  judge  of,  27. 

Covenant,  signed  on  shipboard,  u,  12. 

Cox,  Patrick,  191. 

Crampton,  Dennis,  21,  27. 

Crane,  Henry,  23  ;  removed  to  Killing- 
worth,  23. 

Crane,  Jasper,  154. 

Crean,  Henry,  187. 

Cromwell,  Jane,  120. 

Cromwell,  Lord  Protector  Oliver,  120. 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  relative  of,  17. 

Cromwell's  parliament,  121. 


202 


INDEX. 


Crooked  Lane,  28,  124,  126,  127. 

Crooper  hill,  77. 

Crosswell,  Rev.  Dr.  Hairy,  109. 

Crowel,  C.  L.,  190. 

Cruttenden,    Abraham,  12,    27,  78,    79, 

181. 
Cruttenden,   Abraham    jr.,    14,   24,  27, 

186. 
Cruttenden,  Abraham    sen.,  13,  15,  24, 

27,  186. 

Cruttenden,  Isaac,  27. 
Cruttenden,  Rev.  Richard,  119. 
Cruttenden,  Samuel,  107. 
Cruttenden,  Thomas,  27,  186. 
Curtis,  Rev.  William  B.,   119. 
Cutler,  Mr.,  129. 
Cuyler,  John,  189. 

Daggett,  Judge,  137. 

Daniels,  Joseph  L.,  85. 

Darken,  Rev.  Edward,  109. 

Darwin,  Ephraim,  28,  29. 

Dartmouth  college,  113. 

Davis,  Edwin  O.,  106. 

Davis,  John,  107. 

Davis,  John  Nelson,  191. 

Davis,  Samuel  Richard,  191. 

Davis  E.  Roger,  194. 

Day,  Rev.  T.  L.,  8S. 

Day,  Rev.  Theodore  L.,  100,  142. 

Death,  the  advantage  of  the  Godly,  a 
discourse  on,  95. 

Decoration  day,  corner  stone  of  monu- 
ment laid,  51. 

Deep  Bottom,  Va.,  191,  192. 

De  Forrest,  Judge  Robert  E.,  142. 

Denison,  Richard,  42. 

Deputies,  list  of,  155,  156. 

Derby,  27,  94. 

Desborough,  Mr.,  32,   51,  54. 

Desborough,  Samuel,  59. 

Desborough,  Mr.,  152. 


Disborough,  Samuel,  25,   41,   120,  ill, 

145.  151>  !53»  *55>  l83- 

Disborough,  Samuel,  terryer  of,   6l. 

Disborow,  Elizabeth,  divorced  wife  of 
Thomas  Relf,  16. 

Disborow,  James,  120. 

Disborow,  Maj.  Gen.  John,  120. 

Disborow,  Mr.,  18,  25. 

Disborow,  Samuel,  12,  17,  18,  68,  69, 
89,  1 20. 

Disbrow,  Samuel,  59. 

Discourse  on  Ecclesiastical  Prosperity,!  145 
on  Free  Discussion,  114;  on  Main- 
tenance of  Moral  Purity,  114. 

Divinity  school  at  New  Haven,  114. 

Dodd,  Stephen,  28. 

Dolph,  William  Henry,  191. 

Dover,  N.  H.,  112. 

Douglass,  Rev.  ,  in. 

Dowd,  Benjamin  R.,  191. 

Dowd,  Henry,  13,  15,  24. 

Dowd,  Hy.,  27. 

Dowd,  J.  A.,  148. 

Dowd,  Julius  A.,  116,  179,  180. 

Dowd,  Julius  N.,  82. 

Dowd,  William  T.,  190. 

Dowde,  Henry,  12. 

Dudley,  Abraham,  106. 

Dudley,  Asher,  116. 

Dudley's,  David,  dwelling  house,  8. 

Dudley,  Everett  L.,  194. 

Dudley,  George  W.,  194. 

Dudley,  H.   Francis,  194. 

Dudley,  Hy.  Chittenden,  192. 

Dudley,  Joseph,  81,  162,  182,  187. 

Dudley,  Sergt.  Joseph,  162. 

Dudley,  Martin,  104. 

Dudley,  Mr.,  82. 

Dudley,  Oliver,  149. 

Dudley,  Samuel  W.,  119,  149,  178,  179, 
180. 

Dudley,  Selah    119. 


INDEX. 


203 


Dudley,  W.  C.,  147. 

Dudley,  Wm.,  12,  13,24.  3°»  "9>  H9- 

Dudley,  Wm.  M.,  149. 

Dudley's  creek,  8. 

Dunn,  Samuel  Bradley,  191. 

Dunk,  Thomas,  16. 

Durham,  7,  32,  45,  142,  187  ;  turnpike, 

45- 

Dutchman's  coat,  10. 
Dutton,  Rev.  Aaron,  88,  98. 
Dutton,  Dorcas  S.,  99. 
Dutton,  Rev.  Dr.,  83. 
Dutton,  Mary,  99. 
Dutton,  Mr.,  104. 
Dutton,  S.  W.  S.,    D.D.,  104. 
Dutton,  Rev    Samuel  W.  S.,  99. 
Dutton,  Thomas,  104. 
Dutton,  Deacon  Thomas,  98. 
Dutton,  Rev.  Thomas,  99. 
Dutton,  Rev.  Thomas  Rice,  118. 
Duty  of  Living  and  Dying  to  the    Lord, 

funeral  sermon,  96. 
Dwight,  Dr.,  57. 

East  creek,  34,  43,  45. 
East  end  point,  78. 
East  Granby,  Conn.,  113. 
East  Greenwich,  in  Kent,  79. 

East  Guilford,  8,   29,    30,    48,    50,    81, 
130,  131. 

East  Haddam,  117. 

East  Hampton,  26. 

East  Hampton,  Long  Island,  27. 

East  Haven,    9,    30,    47;   heights,     50; 

Menunkatuck  Indians  at,  n. 
East  Riding  of  Long  Island,  26. 
East  river,  8,  9.  10,  18,  43,  45,  46,  66, 

67,  68,  71,  73,  74,  81. 
Easton,  Pa.,  137. 
Eaton,  Gov.,  120. 
Eaton,  Theophilus,  governor,  183. 
Eddy,  Rev.  Henry,  118. 


Edinburgh,  120. 

Eliot,  Jared,  104. 

Eliot,  John,  161. 

Eliot,  Rev.  John,    132;  pastor    of  Rox- 
bury,  94. 

Eliot,  Joseph,   94. 

Eliot,  Mary,  132. 

Eliot,  Mr.  94. 

Elliot,  Lucius,  1 17. 

Elliott,  32. 

Elliott,  Aaron,  144. 

Elliott,  Henry,  149,  178. 

Elliott,  James,  81. 

Elliott,  John,  144,  170,    171,  173,  174. 

Elliott,  John,  A.  M.,  pastor  of  a  church 
in  E.  Guilford,  97. 

Elliott,  Joseph,  19,  27,  41,  48,  145,  175, 
176. 

Elliott,  Mr  ,  8 1. 

Elliott,  Reuben,  92,  144,   145. 

Elliott,  Samuel,  92,  146. 

Elliott,  Whitney,  149. 

Elliott,  Wyllys,  17,  92,  149. 

Elizabethtown,  81. 

Ellington,  Conn.,  114,  115. 

Ellsworth,  Oliver,  114. 

Ely,  Hon.  Smith,  jr.,  134. 

England,  18,  20,  21,  22,  23,  25,  28,  51, 

89,  91,  120,  121,  145. 
English,  42,  47  ;  settlement  commenced, 
95  coats,    9;    planters    of  Menun- 
katuck,    10,      65,     66,    67,     68  ; 
of     America,      19;     soldiers,    46} 
magistrates,  68. 
Ephraim's  rocks,  29. 

Episcopal  church,  100;  in  process  of 
erection,  35;  taken  down,  38;  in 
New  Haven,  109;  wardens,  no; 
congregation,  108. 

Episcopalians,  number  in  Guilford,  1838, 
116;  in  North  Guilford,  1838, 120  5 
of  Stratford,  129. 


204 


INDEX. 


Essex,  England,  23,  29. 

Essexborough,  38. 

Ettisley,    manor   of,   in    Cambridgeshire, 

1 20. 

Euatts,  Daniell,  186. 
Europe,  99,  114,  132. 
Evain,  Scotland,  28. 
Evangelical      (Congregational)      church, 

"3- 

Evarts,  Daniel,  27. 
Evarts,  John,  13,  24,  25,  27. 
Evarts,  Oliver  Wolcott,  192. 
Everest,  Jacob,  29. 

Fairchild,  Asher,  1 88. 

Fairchild,  Joy  H.,  104. 

Fairchild,  Lewis,  50. 

Fairchild,  William,  50. 

Fairfax  seminary,  Va.,  191. 

Fairfield,  23. 

Fairfield,  Conn.,  113. 

Fairfield,  Illinois,  33,  106. 

Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  191. 

Fair  street,  18,  22,  29. 

Falcon  island,  66 ;  permission  to  pur- 
chase, 187. 

Falmouth,  Va.,  192. 

Farmer's  wharf,  45. 

Farmington,  28,  117. 

Fener,  Joseph,  8 1. 

Fenn,  Benj.,  154. 

Fenwick,  George,  10,   62,  64. 

Fenwick,  Mr.,  10,  66,  91. 

Field,  David,  50. 

Field,  Edmund  Irving,   192. 

Field,  Edmund  M.,  149. 

Field,  Rev.  Julius,  in. 

First  church,  persons  who  have  entered 
the  ministry  from,  104;  names  of 
deacons,  105,  106. 

First  Congregational  church,  82,  112; 
North  Branford,  Conn.,  114. 


First  Society,  8,  1 8,  30,  31,   32,  34,  36, 

37.  4*>  43.  45^  8l»  82»  I03- 
Fishing,  advantages  for,  9. 
Fitch,  Samuel,  42. 
Five  Forks,  Va.,  193. 
Flip,   taxes   levied   to   meet   expense    of, 

189;       rnug,      still    in    existence, 

189. 

Florence,  S.  C.,  192. 
Folly  island,  S.  C.,  19-2. 
Foote,  Anson,  42. 
Foote,  Dr.  Anson,  146. 
Foote,  Eli,  190. 

Foote,  George  A.,  no,  178,  179. 
Foote,  Col.  George  A.,  146. 
Foote,  Geo.  Augustus,  192. 
Foote,  Merritt,   190. 
Fourth  church,  list  of  deacons  in,  107. 
Fourth   Society  in   Guilford,    joo,    103; 

last  clergyman  settled  over,  103. 
Fowlar,  John,  186. 
Fowler,  32. 

Fowler,  Abraham,  145,  161. 
Fowler,  Capt.  Abr.,  162,  163. 
Fowler,  Ensign  Abr.,  161. 
Fowler,  Lieut.  Abr.,  162. 
Fowler,  Abraham  S.,  178. 
Fowler,  Ammi,  149. 
Fowler,  Amos,  179. 
Fowler,  Rev.  Amos,  96. 
Fowler,  Andrew,  104. 
Fowler,  Rev.  Andrew,  108. 
Fowler,  Arthur  S.,  194. 
Fowler,  A.  S.,  146. 
Fowler,  David  S.,  149. 
Fowler,  Douglas,  192. 
Fowler,  Mrs.  E.  B.,  196. 
Fowler,  Emerson  S.,  192. 
Fowler,  Henry,  148,  179,  180. 
Fowler,  Henry  2d,  179. 
Fowler,  Henry,  of  Rich.,  180. 
Fowler,  Henry  C.,  35. 


INDEX. 


205 


Fowler,  John,  13,  18,  24,  54,  105,  154, 

J56»  157,   I58>  181. 
Fowler,  Dea.  John,  158,  159. 
Fowler,  John  H.,  104,  182. 
Fowler,  Joseph,  30. 
Fowler,  Judge,  18. 
Fowler,  Lewis,  194. 
Fowler,  Louis,  I  50. 
Fowler,  Mr.,  97,  104. 
Fowler,  Miss  Nettie,  196. 
Fowler,  Noah,  147. 
Fowler,  Oliver  B.,  34. 
Fowler,  Mrs.  R.  L.,  195. 
Fowler,  Richard,  149. 
Fowler,  Richard  H.,  192. 
Fowler,  Samuel,  30,  182,  192. 
Fowler,  Maj.  Samuel,  144,  145. 
Fowler,  Stephen,  149. 
Fowler,  Victor,  149. 
Fowler,  William,  183. 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,  192,  193. 
Freemen,  names  and  date  of  admission  as, 

12,  13. 

French,  John,  182. 
French,  Thomas,  14,  15,  24,  27,  59. 
French  war,  second,  48. 
Frisbie,  Russell,  22,  147. 

Gallagher,  Rev.  C.  W.,  in. 

General  assembly,  177. 

General   court,   deputies  to  assist,   when 

chosen,  53;   deputies  to,  from  Guil- 

ford,  157,    177. 
Georgia,  38,  112,  128. 
Gettysburg,  Pa.,  191,  192. 
Gibbon,  85. 
Gilbert,  Dorcas  S.,  99. 
Gilbert,  Rev.  Edwin  R.,of  Wallingford, 

99- 

Gilbert,  Wells,  192. 
Gildersleeve,  Rich.,  183. 
Glastonbury,  108. 


Gneiss  rock,  44. 

Goffe,  Gen.,   122. 

Goffe,  Judge,  1 1 6. 

Goldam,  Henry,  15,  25. 

Goldsmith,  85. 

Goldsmith,  Alvah  B.,  144,  146. 

Goldsmith,  Elder  Alvah  B.,  ordained, 
no. 

Goldsmith,  Joshua,  in. 

Goodrich,  Richard,  26. 

Goodwin,  Mr.,  90. 

Goodyear,  Stephen,  deputy,  183. 

Goose  island,  187. 

Gordon,  Charles    E.,  85. 

Gordon,  Mary,  112. 

Goshen,  52. 

Graham,  Rev.  John,  100. 

Graham,  John  L.,  192. 

Granite  rocks,  44. 

Graue,  John,  186,  187. 

Graves,  John,  20,  24,  105,  106,  158, 
182  ;  town  clerk,  20. 

Graves,  Capt.  John,  161. 

Graves,  Deacon  John,  78,  79,  160. 

Graves,  Ens.  John,  158,  159,  160. 

Graves,  Sherman,  83,  84,  179. 

Graves,  Deacon  William,  77. 

Great  Barrington,  Mass.,    118. 

Great  harbor,  47. 

Green,  Dr.  Ashbel,  president  of  Prince- 
ton college,  1 02. 

Green,  Samuel4  93. 

Green,  the,  18,  38,  82. 

Greene,  Gen.,  12. 

Greenfield  Hill,  Fairfield,  Conn.,  115. 

Greenville,  N.  Y.,  33,  303. 

Greenwich,  Conn.,  8 1. 

> 
Gregson,  Thomas,  183. 

Gridley,  Richard,   189. 
Griffin,  Henry,  u  I. 
Griffing,  Jasper,  29,  92. 
Griffing,  Joel,  190. 


206 


INDEX. 


Griffing,  Joel  L.,  42. 

Griffing,  Joseph,  190. 

Griffing,  Judge,  18. 

Griffing,  Nathaniel,  83,  izi,   145,  175, 

i?6,  '77,  178. 

Griffing,  Judge  Nathaniel,  92. 
Griffing,  Robert,  119. 
Griffing,  Mrs.  Sarah,  83. 
Griswold,  Amos  jr.,  148. 
Griswold,  Mrs.  Charles,  195. 
Griswold,  Mrs.  Edward,  195. 
Griswold,  George,  144,  146. 
Griswold,  Geo.  C.,  148. 
Griswold,  H.  B.,  148. 
Griswold,  Henry  H.,  194. 
Griswold,  John,  179. 
Griswold,  Leverett,  116,  147,  179. 
Griswold,  Lewis,  147,  179. 
Griswold,  Sherman,  104. 
Griswold,  Thomas,  28. 
Gris wold's  rocks,  17. 
Grosvenor,  Mr.,  118. 
Grosvenor,  Joseph  A.,  192. 
Grosvenor,  Samuel  E.,  192. 
Grove     Hall     Female    Seminary,     New 

Haven,  99. 

Guildford,  12;  capital  of  Surry,  12. 
Guilford,  6,   7,  10,  12,    14,  15,  17,    19, 

21,   22,   23,    25,   26,   27,   28,   29,    30, 

34,  37,  4i,  42,  43,  44,  47,  4^,  49, 
51,  52»  54,  58,  66»  7i,73,  74,  75> 
76,  81,  85,  91,  92,  93,94,  95,  96> 
97,  100,  101,  102,  106,  108,  122, 

142,  J43,  '44,  19*,  J92»  X93J 
sketch  of  the  history  of,  5  ;  poet, 
the,  6 ;  harbor,  7,  45,  46 ;  First 
Society,  8,  86  ;  present  town  of,  pur- 
chased, 9 ;  articles  given  for,  9 ; 
borough,  9,  36,  45;  great  plains 
south  of,  93;  Johnsons,  ancestor  of, 
20;  Savings  Bank,  the,  35;  its 
officers,  35  ;  point,  36;  Fourth  Book 
of  Deeds,  37;  road  through,  38  j 


Guilford,  turnpike,45;  oysters,46;  account 
of  a  military  expedition  from,  49  ; 
Booke  of  the  more  fixed  Orders  for 
the  Plantation,  62;  records,  73,  80  ; 
article  in,  9  ;  charter  granted  to,  77, 
78  ;  Institute,  83  ;  trustees  of  the, 
83,  84;  Bible  to  be  used  in,  84; 
principals  of,  85;  library,  85; 
parish,  rector  of,  109  ;  Third  church, 
1125  first  white  person  born 
in,  122;  district,  probate  court 
for,  1 27 ;  light  battery,  salute  by, 
141  ;  judges  and  clerks  of,  144; 
list  of  magistrates  and  justices,  from 
1644  or  1645,  145-148  ;  plantation 
called,  152;  deputies  from,  153; 
deputies  to  general  court  from,  183; 
admission  of,  into  the  jurisdiction  of 
Connecticut,  186;  freemen  of,  list 
of,  186;  county,  efforts  made  to 
create,  187  ;  roll  of  honor,  191,  192, 
agricultural  society,  194;  193;  offi- 
cers, 194. 

Guilford,  Vt.,  32. 

Gurnsey,  Mr.,  118. 

Gutrich,  Richard,  187. 

Gutridge,  Richard,  12. 

Gutteridge,  Richard,  13. 

Guttridge,  Richard,  24. 

Hackinsack,  N.  J.,  42. 

Haddam,  40,  49,  97,  142. 

Hadley,  Mass.,   116. 

Hale,  Henry,  1 10. 

Hale,  Mrs.  Henry,  195. 

Hale,  John,  in,  147,  179. 

Hale,  William,  in,  147,  178,  179. 

Hall,  Eber,   50. 

Hall,  Rev.  E.  Edwin,  83,  84,  99,  180. 

Hall,  Henry  Harrison,  192. 

Hall,  Henry  L.,  104. 

Hall,  Hiland,  50. 

Hall,  James  D.,  116. 


INDEX. 


207 


Hall,  Jno.,  22,  107. 

Hall,  Thomas,  105. 

Hall,  William,  13,  24,  26,  30. 

Halle,  William,  12. 

Halleck,  6. 

Halleck,  Fitz    Greene,    132,    133,   134, 

'35- 

Halleck,  Israel,  132. 

Halleck's  Connecticut,  55. 

Halleck's  Life,  85. 

Hammonassett,  18,  19,  76;  river,  7,  8, 
10,  u,  62,  63,  66,  77  ;  source  dis- 
covered, 21  ;  Indians  at  Killing- 
worth,  ii  ;  land,  right  in  sold  out, 
64. 

Hand,  Benjamin,  164,  165,  166,  167. 

Hand,  Joseph,  27. 

Harbor  street,  20,  1 66. 

Harman,  Nathan,  26. 

Harper's  Ferry,  Va.,  191,  193. 

Harrison,  Elizabeth   (Bunnel),  114. 

Hairison,  Rev.  Fosdic,  114,  118. 

Harrison,  H.  Lynde,  148,  180. 

Harrison,  Judge  H.  Lynde,  142. 

Harrison,  Mary,  114. 

Hart,  Augustine,  85. 

Hart,  Ebenezer,  49,  50. 

Hart,  George,  146. 

Hart,  Richard  E.,  148. 

Hart,  Thomas,  50,  106. 

Hartford,  14,  20,  23,  28,  38,  109,  122, 
X4S>  '56,  157;  court  of  election 
held  at,  186;  general  court  held  at, 
187. 

Harvard  college,  94. 

Harwinton,  Conn.,  113,  114. 

Hatcher's  run,  Va.,  192. 

Hawkhurst,  England,  26. 

Hawks,  Rev.  William  N.,  109. 

Hayes,  Gen.  Rutherford  B.,  president  of 
the  U.  S.,  134. 

Hebert,  Ebenezer,  137. 


Hebron,  42. 

Hendrick,  W.  F.,  35. 

Higginson,   Francis,  14,  92  ;  first  pastor 

at  Salem,  Mass.,  14. 
Higginson,   John,    12,   14,   25,    65,  89, 

92. 

Higginson,  Rev.  John,  17. 
Higginson,  Mr.,  18,  80,  81,   89,  92,  93. 
Higginson,  Rev.  Mr.,  14. 
Higginson,  Hon.  Stephen,  93. 
Higginson,  Thomas,  81. 
High  street,  116. 

Highland,  George,  14,  15,  24,  27. 
Hiland,  George,  186. 
Hill,  Franklin  M.,  no. 
Hill,  George,  136;  sonnet  by,  132. 
Hill,  George  2d,  150. 
Hill,  Henry,  127,  144,  145. 
Hill,  John,  24,  187;  a  carpenter,  20. 
Hill,  Michael,  37. 
Hill,  Nathaniel,    327,    144,    145,    169, 

170,  171,  182. 
Hill,  Samuel,  144,  165,  166,  167,  168, 

182. 

Hill,  Col.  Samuel,  127,  144,  145. 
Hilton  Head,  191. 
Hinman,  Hon.  Edward,  137. 
History  of  Connecticut,  90. 
History  of  Guilford,    96}  manuscript  of, 

presented  to  the  U.  W.  P.  I.,  196. 
History  of  Harwinton,  Conn.,  114. 
History  of  New  England,   Palfrey's,  1 6. 
History  of  the  Judges,  120. 
Hitchcock,  Judge,  137. 
Hoadley,  John,  89. 
Hoadley,  John,  12. 
Hoadley,  Mr.,  1 18. 
Hobson,  John,   187. 
Hobson,  Samuel,  30. 
Hodely,  John,  13,  32,  153. 
Hodgkin,  John,  23,  27,  29. 
Hodgskins,  Thcs.,  166. 


208 


Hogeboom,  Judge  Henry,  137. 
Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell,  poem  by,  133. 
Hooker,  James,  27,  105,127,  144,  145, 

162,  163,  164,  165. 
Hooker,  Judge,  127. 
Hooker,  Mr.,  90,  92. 
Hopson,  Samuel,  149. 

Hosford  ,42. 

Hotchkin,  29. 

Hotchkin,  Beriah,  104. 

Hotchkin,  Rev.  Beriah,  102. 

Hotchkin,  Joseph,  50. 

Hotchkin,  Mr.,  103. 

Hotchkin,  Thomas,  50. 

Hotchkins,  Thos.,  166. 

Hotchkiss,  29. 

Hotchkiss,  fiber  S.,  147. 

Hotchkiss,  T.  D.,  147. 

Hotchkiss,  Thos.,  166. 

Howard,  Rev.  William,  119. 

Hewlett's,  1 8. 

Hoyt,  James  P.,  85. 

Hoyt,  Jonathan,  27,  29. 

Hubball,  Richard,  23,  24,  27;   admitted 

a  planter,  23. 

Hubbard,  Bela,  D.D.,  104. 
Hubbard,  Rev.  Bela,  D.  D.,  108. 
Hubbard,  Daniel,  33. 
Hubbard,  Sergt.  Daniel,  78,  79. 
Hubbard,  George,  12,   14,  23,  54,    145, 

'53,  155. '56>  157- 
Hubbard,  Grove,  149. 
Hubbard,  John,  30. 
Hubbard,  Mr.,  36. 
Hubbard,  Sam.  F.,  149. 
Hubbard,  Wm.  H.,   no. 
Hubbard,  Wm.  Henry,  192. 
Huburci,  Daniell,  186. 
Huburd,  George,  186. 
Hudson,  103. 
Hues,  Richard,  14,  15. 
Hughes,  John,   12. 


Hughes,  Richard,  25,  27. 
Hull,  Alfred,  G.,  35,  116,  147. 
Hull,  Mrs.  A.  G.,  195,  196. 
Hull,  H.  Ellsworth,   192. 
Hull,  Richard  Lawrence,    192. 
Hull,  Sam'l  H.,    192. 
Hull,  Zadoc,  no. 
Hungry  hill,   38. 
Hunt,  Robert,  147. 
Hunting,  advantages  for,  9. 
Hutchinson,  Elisha,  42,  146. 
Hyde  Park,  Mass.,  113. 

Idol,  stone  supposed  to  have  been  an,  n. 

Illinois,  University  of,  99. 

Indian,  69  j  inhabitants,  9;  war,  land 
granted  to  soldiers  in,  48. 

Indians,  42,  47  ;  town  inhabited  by,  8  ; 
nothing  certain  known  concerning, 
1 1  ;  fortification  for  protection 
against,  16;  of  America,  jc  j  names 
of,  70  ;  progress  of  the  gospel  among, 
91  ;  apostle  to  the,  94,  132. 

Jackson,  Abraham,  192. 

Jamaica,  L.  I.,  8 1. 

Jamaica,  N.  Y.,  99. 

James  the  2d,  75,  80. 

Joans,  Thomas,  12. 

Johnson,  Dr.,  130;  ancestor  of,  10. 

Johnson,  Harmon  Barber,  192. 

Johnson,  John,  14,  15,  16,  24,  26,  187. 

Johnson,  John  G.,  149. 

Johnson,  Mr.,  129. 

Johnson,  Nathaniel,  108. 

Johnson,    Samuel,    33,    81,    105,    129, 

130;  cloth  dressing  carried   on   by 

family  of,  33. 
Johnson,  S.  C.,  146. 
Johnson,  Samuel  C.,  178. 
Johnson,  Samuel,  D.D.,  104,  108,  129, 

130. 


INDEX. 


2O9 


Johnson,  Walter,  Esq.,  92. 
Johnson,  William,  20,  24,  27,  105,  129, 
*57>    I58i    I59»    l6l>    l8z>    l86> 

its. 

Johnson,  Deacon  William,   77,   78,  79, 

159,  1 60,  161. 
Johnson,  Dr.  William,  81. 
Johnson,  Sergt.  Wm.,  158. 
Jones,  Samuel,  25. 
Jones,  Thomas,  13,  25,  181. 
Jones,  William,  76,   154. 
Jones's  bridge,  factory  near,  I  34. 
Jordan,  Anne,  20. 

Jordan,  John,  10,  15,  20,  54,  66,  68. 
Jordan,   Thomas,    13,    25,   32,   69,  123, 

!53»  JS4,   155.  j8°- 
Josephus,  85. 
Journal  L.  H.,   187. 
Judgment    and    Mercy,    etc.,    a  funeral 

sermon,  95. 
Jurdon,  John,  12. 
Justices  in  North    Guilford    parish,  149, 

150. 

Kellogg,  Rev.  Nathan,  ill. 

Kelsey,  A.,  in. 

Kelsey,  Alvah,  147. 

Kelsey,  Richard  F.,  194. 

Kelsey,  William,  146. 

Kelsey,  William  S.,  20. 

Kent,  79  ;  adventurers  from,  1 1  ;  county 

of,  22. 

Kent,  England,  26. 
Kennilworth,  77. 

Keyhow,  alias  James  the  Brother,  76. 
Killingworth,  7,  8,   19,  23,  26,  28,  29, 

30,  32,  85,   142,    143,    144,  187; 

Hammonassett  Indians  at,  1 1 ;  Town 

Records,  19;  harbor,  85  line,  21. 
Kimball  Union  Academy,  113. 
Kimberly,  Abraham,  29. 
Kimberly,  Erastus  C.,  no. 

27 


Kimberly,  George  C.,  no. 

Kimberly,  Mrs.  Geo.  C.,  196. 

King  Philip,  war  against,  48. 

King's  (Columbia)   college,  president  of, 

129. 

Kingsnorth,  Daniel,  22,  22. 
Kingsnorth,  Henry,  12,  13,22,  24;  his 

will,  22. 

Kingsnorth,  James,  22. 
Kingsnorth,  John,  22. 
Kingsnorth,  Mary,  22. 
Kinston,  N.  C.,  191. 
Kirtland,  George,  42. 
Kitchel,  Rev.  Cornelius  L.,  85,  99. 
Kitchell,  Joanna  or  Hannah,  81. 
Kitchell,  Robert,  9,  10,  12,    1 8,  23,  27, 

36.   52>  54,  59»  65>  66>  8l>  IS1. 

iSl*  '55>  'S6.  181. 
Kitchell,  Samuel,  27,  70,  71,  182. 
Koukeshihu,  70. 

Labore,  Anthony,  42. 

Lamberton,  ship,  16. 

Lamberton,  George,   183. 

Lambric,  Joannes,  192. 

Lancasterian  method  adopted,  82. 

Landon,  David,  1 88. 

Landon,  E.  R  ,  144,  146. 

Landon,   Edward    R.,   6,   35,  138,    141, 

144,  146,  1 80,  182. 
Landon,  George,  178. 
Landon,  Mrs.  Hart,  195. 
Landon,  Hethcote  G.,  180. 
Last  of  the  Mohicans,  The,  72. 
Lathrop,  Jedediah,  no,  190. 
Lathrop,  John  Hiram,  LL.D.,  137. 
Leake  and    Watt's   Orphan   Asylum,  N. 

Y.,  40. 

Lee,  Charles  Gilbert,  192. 
Lee,  Edward,  27. 
Lee,  Edward  M.,  148. 
Lee,  Gen.  E.  M.,  142,  180. 


210 


INDEX. 


Lee,  Samuel  jr.,  172,  173,  174. 

Lee,  William  H.,  194. 

Lee,  Lieut.  Wm.  H.,  141. 

Leet,  Andrew,  187. 

Leet,  Mr.,  63. 

Leete,  Abner,   50. 

Leete,  Albert  A.,  106,   147. 

Leete,  Ambrose,  105,  107. 

Leete,  Andrew,  72,  73,   74,  76,  77,  78, 

79>  I23»J4S>IS9- 

Leete,  Anna,  122. 

Leete,  Benjamin,  30. 

Leete,  Caleb,  163,  164,  165,  166. 

Leete,  Calvin   M.,   179. 

Leete,  Charles  F.,  180. 

Leete,  Daniel,  49,  107, 

Leete,  Edward  L.,  84,  106,  147,  179, 
180. 

Leete,  John,    122. 

Leete,  Gov  ,  61,  64,  120,  122;  his  fam- 
ily, 20. 

Leete,  Mrs.  Harvey,   195. 

Leete,  Mr.,  18,  51,   152,  186. 

Leete,  Mrs.  N.   F.,  196. 

Leete,  Peletiah,  50,  107,  165,  1 66,  167, 
190. 

Leete,  Peletiah  2d,  101. 

Leete,  Roger  C.,   194. 

Leete,  Rowland,  50. 

Leete,  Rufus  N.,  147. 

Leete,  Samuel,  n  i. 

Leete,  Sidney  W.,  194. 

Leete,  Simeon,  47,   50. 

Leete,  Solomon,  49  ,•  his    house  burned, 

49- 

Leete,  Theodore  A.,  104. 
Leete,  William,  9,  10,    12,   13,   23,    52, 

54,  59,  62,  65,  66,70,  71,  76,  89, 

121,  117,  151,  152,  153,  154,155. 

159,  160,  181,   183. 
Leete,  William  jr.,  104. 
Leete,  Gov.  William,   145,   182. 


Leete's  island,  43,  46,  49,  50,   83,  192,5 

cemetery  at,   39  ;  granite  quarry  at, 

41. 

Leicester,  Eng.,  92. 
Leverett,  Mass.,   99. 
Library  formed,  85. 
Light,  The,  Appearing  More  and  More, 

91. 

Lindsley,  John,  14,  26. 
Lisbon,  Conn.,  113. 
Litchfield,  32,  108  ;  county,   32. 
Littlefield,  105. 

London,  u,  17,  25,  81,  90,  91,  92. 
Long  hill,  38,  43. 
Long  Island,  49,   107  ;   East  Riding    of, 

26  ;   sound  ;   7,  39. 
Loper,  Henry,  no,  146. 
Loper,  Samuel  W.,  142. 
Lord  James  the  second,  of  England,  80. 
Louisburg,  48. 
Loyselle,  Miss  Ruth,   no. 
Ludington,  Timothy,  50,   188. 
Lyme,  69,   85. 
Lyon,  Rev.  Chas.  W.,   in. 
Lyons,  Rev.  Mr.,  missionary,  108. 

Mack,  Eli  T.,  85. 

Madison,  7,  8,   18,  21,  29,    30,  31,   37, 

58,     63,    106;  church,    215   (East 

Guilford),  143,    144. 
Magistrates  and  justices,  list  of,  145-148. 
Magnalia,  90. 
Maine,  38. 
Marietta  college,  99. 
Marvin,  David,  42. 
Maryland,    142. 
Mason,  Samuel,  192. 
Masonic  Hall,  189. 
Masons,  free   and  accepted,   St.    Alban's 

lodge  of,  1 88,  189. 
Massachusetts,  19,  92,  135. 
Mateowepesack,  71. 


INDEX. 


21  1 


Mather,  Cotton,  19,  90,  93. 

Mather,  Dr.  Increase,  94. 

Mather,  Mr.,   94. 

Maycock,  Thomas,  74. 

Meacock,  Thomas,   20,  27,  72,  73,  77, 

161 ;  admitted  a  planter,  21. 
Mecoke,  Thomas,  186. 
Medicines,  faith  in  quack,  41. 
Mediterranean,    136. 
Meigs,  Lieut.  Janna,  164,  165. 
Meigs,  Capt.  Jehiel,  50. 
Meigs,  John,  19,  24,  25,  28,  50,  78,  79, 

105. 

Meigs,  Josiah,  170. 
Meigs,  Lieut.  Col.,  49. 
Meigs,  Capt.  Phineas,  50. 
Meigs,  Tryal,  28. 
Meishunok,  70. 
Memoir  of  Eli  Thorp,  114. 
Menunk^tuck,  8,  66,  67;  sachem  squaw 

°f>  9>  755  English  planters  of,    10, 

65  ;  Indians   at   Branford  and   East 

Haven,    1 1  ;    or    West    river,    45 ; 

lands  called,  62;   Indian  inhabitants 

of,  65;   named  Guilford,  152. 
Mepham,  John,  12,  15,  64,  87. 
Mequunhut,  70. 
Merwin,  Clarina  B.,  115. 
Merwin,  Rev.  Sjmuel,  115. 
Merwin,  Susan  T.,  115. 
Messanamuck,  66. 
Metuckquashish,  70. 
Methodist    Episcopal    church,  85,   in; 

clergymen  in  charge,  1 1 1 . 
Methodists  in  Guilford,   1838,    116;  in 

North  Guilford,  1838,  120. 
Middlebury  college,  Vt.,  112. 
Middlefield,  32. 
Middle  Haddam,  no. 
Middletown,   45,   47,    in,    142,    143; 

parishes  of,  32. 
Midlothian,  izi. 


Milford,  12,  14,  20,  51,  52,  54,  136, 
152;  deputies  to  general  court  from, 
183. 

Milledgeville,  Ga.,  129. 

Miller,  Charles  W.,   148,  190. 

Mills,  Thomas,  15. 

Mipham,  John,  153,  155. 

Mohegan  Indians,  68  ;  sachem,  72. 

Mohegans,  sachem  of,  10,  74;  Uncas, 
sachem  of,  46. 

Monroe,  Beverly,  35. 

Monroe,  Jasper,  147,  179. 

Moore,  Jairus  P.,  85. 

Moosamattuck,  66. 

Moose  hill,  43,  83  ;  cemetery  at,  39. 

Morse,  Asahel  B.,  190. 

Morse,  Seth,  50,  107. 

Morse,  John,  50. 

Moriton,  N.  H.,  113. 

Morton's  Ford,  Va.,  192. 

Mt.  Pleasant,  N.  Y.,  106. 

Munson,  Judge,  138. 

Munger,  John,  50. 

Munger,  Nicholas,  25,  27. 

Munger,  Wait,  50. 

Murdock,  Dr.  James,  97. 

Murray,  Bridgeman,  50. 

Murray,  Jonathan,  50. 

Murray,  Rev.  W.  H.  H.,  51. 

Murphy,  Patrick,  192. 

Music  hall,  34;  fire  at,  190. 

Muttomonossuck,  66. 

My  Peace  I  give  unto  you,  etc.,  93. 

Naisli,  Thomas,  12. 
Nathan's  pond,  21. 
National  Freedman's  Relief  Commission, 

113. 

Naushuter,  76. 
Nausump,  75. 
Nausup,  an  Indian,  72  ;  alias  Quataba- 

cot,  deed  of  sale  from,  73,  74,  75,76 


212 


INDEX. 


Nebeserte,  68. 

Neck,  the,  II;  Indians  found  on  the, 
II;  land  in  the.  64;  called  the,  69  ; 
river,  8  ;  plains,  21. 

Nettleton,  Dennis  F.,   192. 

Newark,  N.  J.,  23,   81,  115. 

Newbern,  N.  C.,  192,  193. 

New  Concord,  N.  Y.,  117. 

New  England,  11,22,  38,  55,90;  colo- 
nists, 58  ;  tribes,  first  convert 
among,  69. 

N.  E.  Hist,  and  Gen.  Reg.,  141. 

New  Hampton,  N.  H.,  117. 

New  Haven,  9,  II,  19,  21,  22,  35,  37, 
38>  39,  42,  43.  45.  6z»  7^,  81.  87, 
89?  91,  93.  94,  99,  I00»  Io8»  I09, 
112,  122,  152;  and  New  London 
Railway  Co.,  chartered,  39  ;  New 
London  and  Stonington  Railroad, 
39  ;  ancient  colony  of,  51  ;  colony, 
55,  120,  121  ;  government  of,  52; 
East  Consociation,  112;  county, 
122,  123,  124,  127;  justices  of 
county  court  of,  127;  and  New 
London  Railroad,  138;  Town  and 
Colony  Records,  152;  general  court 
held  at,  183;  deputy  to  general 
court  from,  183  ;  articles  of  confed- 
eration for  the  jurisdiction,  of,  183, 
186. 

New  Haveners,  51. 

New  London,  35,  38,  39,  49;  and  Ston- 
nington  rail  road,  138. 

Newman,  Mr.,  his  barn  in  New  Haven, 
51;  agreement  made  in  confirmed, 62. 

Newman,  Robt.,  65. 

New  Orleans,    191. 

New  York,  38,  39,  42,  113,  115,  132; 
city,  34,  40 ;  New  Haven  and  Hart- 
ford rail  road  Co.,  39 ;  northern 
parts  of,  destitute  of  religious  in- 
struction, 103;  conference,  in; 


New  York,  statue  of  Halleck  presented 
to,  134- 

Newtown,  Conn.,  102. 

Niantic,  Indians,  sachem  of,  69  ;  river, 96. 

Noble,  1 20. 

Northampton,  Mass,  94. 

Northamptonshire,  Eng.,  20. 

North  Becket,  18. 

North  Branford,  Conn.,  114,  115;  First 
Society  of,  143. 

North  Bristol,  8. 

Northfield,  Litchfield  co.,  Conn.,  119. 

Northford,  120,  142. 

North  Guilford,  8,  1 6,  29,  30,  31,  32, 
36,  37,  43,  44,  45,  48,  108,  116, 
117,  128,  191;  cemetery  at,  39; 
library  formed  in,  86;  church,  list 
of  deacons,  119;  parish,  justices  in, 

'49,  I5°- 

North  Killingworth,  108. 
North  Madison,  8,  31,  37,  45. 
North  Society,  37. 
Norton,  32. 
Norton,  Alfred,  149. 
Norton,  C.  Henry,  190. 
Norton,  Francis  Morgan,    192. 
Norton,  Miss  Grace,  19. 
Norton,  Henry  E.,  116,  138,  180. 
Norton,  Horace,  146,  147. 
Norton,  Mrs.  Hy.  E.,  196. 
Norton,  James  A.,  147,  179. 
Norton,  J.  W.,  194. 
Norton,  John,  187,  192. 
Norton,  Jonathan  G.,  192. 
Norton,  John  William,  106,  180. 
Norton,  Rufus,  174. 
Norton,  Thomas,  12,  15,  26. 
Nothingarians  in  Guilford,  1838,  1 1 6. 
Norwalk,  14,  25. 
Norwich,  24,  38,  84. 
Nut    plains,    18,    191  ;     cemetery,    39  ; 

Upper,  83  ;  Lower,  83. 


INDEX. 


213 


Oberlin  college,  118. 

Ockley,  90. 

Old  Society,  37. 

Oliver,  Andrew,  Esq.,  92. 

Oneida  (collegial)  institute,  113. 

Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,    103  ;  missionary 

to,  97. 

Onion  river,  Vt.,  130. 
Orange,  south  parish  of,  129. 
Orthodox  or  Trinitarian,  83. 
Osborn,  Walter,  146. 
Our  Saviour's  Dying  Legacy  of   Peace  to 

his  Disciples,  etc.,  93. 
Oyster  river,  corn  mill  on,  26. 
Oysters,  46  ;   fisheries  of  8. 

Palfrey's  History  of  New  England,  16. 

Pardy,  Joseph,  75. 

Paris,  N.  Y.,  33,  105. 

Park,  Edward,  29. 

Parkhurst,  Mrs.  B.  B.,  195. 

Parks,  Nathaniel,  30. 

Parmalee,  Eli,  85. 

Parmarly,  John,  1 86. 

Parmelee,  Ebenezer,  86,  182. 

Parmelee.  Ebenezer  jr.,  144. 

Parmelee,  Eli,  106,  180. 

Parmelee,  George,  59. 

Parmelee,  Mrs.  Helen,  196. 

Parmelee,  Jeremiah,  190. 

Parmelee,  Joel  Cruttenden,  192. 

Parmelee,  U.  N.,  148. 

Parmelee,  Uriah  Nelson,  jr.,  193. 

Parmelin,  John,   12. 

Parmelin,  Jno.  jr.,  13,  24. 

Parmelin,  John  sen.,  13,  24. 

Parsons,  General,  49. 

Pashquishook,  10. 

Pasquishunk,  69. 

Pauquun,  70. 

Pease,  Rev.  Hart,  in. 

Peck,  Rev.  Jeremiah,  81. 


Pequot,  69. 

Pequots,  conquest  of  the,  1 1  ;  battle  with, 
46. 

Pesuckapaug  pond,  74,  77. 

Petersburg,  Va.,  191. 

Peterson,  Alexander,  193. 

Phelps,  F.  C.,  in. 

Phelps,  Franklin  C.,  147,  179. 

Philadelphia,  100,  101  ;  First  Congrega- 
tional church,  112. 

Philip,  King,  48. 

Physic  and  physical  drugs,  Mrs.  Cosster's, 

4i- 

Physicians,  list  of,  42. 
Piermont,  N.  H.,  112,  117. 
Pierson,  1 8 1. 

Pillsbuiy,  Rev.  Benjamin,  ill. 
Pistapaug  pond,  7. 
Pitman,  Jonathan,  81. 
Plaine,  William,  15. 
Plane,  William,   12. 
Planters,  meeting  of,   151. 
Plantation,     town    clerk     of    the,      20 ; 

treasurers  for,   181. 
Plum-gut,  49, 
Plutarch,  85. 
Plymouth,    Mass.,    93  ;     pastor    of    the 

church  at,   19. 
Point  House,  36. 
Ponaim,  70. 
Pope,  85. 
Population,  entire,   31;  in  Madison  and 

Guilfbrd,3i;  increase  for  ten  years,3i. 
PoqUain,   68. 
Pork  and  pease,  17. 
Port  Royal,  S.  C.,  191. 
Portsmouth,  Va.,  192. 
Portsmouth  Grove,  R.  I.,  192. 
Potomac  river,    192. 
Powers,  Thomas,  110,  190. 
Presbyterian  cloak,   101  ;  churches,  but 

few,  103. 


2I4 


INDEX. 


Princeton  college,  102. 
Prin.-eton,  N.  J.,   113. 
Productions,  principal,  44. 
Protector,  Richard,  121. 
Protestant  Episcopal  church,  35. 
Prudden,  Mr.,  14,  21,  51. 
Puritan,  121. 
Puritans,  57,   63. 
Pynchon,  Joseph,  29,   145,   170. 
Pynchon,  Thomas  Ruggles,  42. 

Quakers,   55. 

Quatabacot,    alias    Nausup,  73,  74,   75, 

76. 

Quillipeak,  62. 
Quillipiack,  67. 
Quillipiag,   69. 
Quinnipiack,  1 1. 
Quissuckquonoh,  70. 
Quonapaug  pond,  44,  45. 

Ramshorn,  Toby,   101. 

Rawson,  Rev.  James,  1 1 1. 

Records,  15,    21,  59;  names  of  planters 

in  original,  13,  14. 
Redfield,  Ebenezer,  61. 
Redfield,  J.,   171. 
Redfield,  Jared,  42. 
Redfield,  John,  42. 

Reformed  Dutch  churches,  but  tew,  103. 
Relf,  Thomas,    divorced   from  his   wife, 

1 6. 

Review  of  the  More  Fixed  Laws,  etc.,  151. 
Reynolds,  Gideon  Perry,  42. 
Richards,  Rev.  John,  of  Waterbury,  117. 
Richardson,  Miles  G.,  193. 
Richmond,   32. 
Richmond,  Mass.,  107. 
Richmond,  Va.,  no. 
Ripley,  Erastus  L.,  147. 
Riverdale,  N.  Y.,   Presbyterian   church, 

115. 


Robinson,  Henry,  104. 

Robinson,  Rev.  Henry,  142. 

Robinson,  James,  169. 

Robinson,  Jon'n,  30. 

Robinson,  Samuel,  146,  167,    1 68,  169, 

170,  172,  174,  175,  176,  177. 
Robinson,  Col.  Samuel,  106,  145. 
Robinson, Thomas,  28. 
Rogers,  Seth  H.,  42. 
Roman  catholics,  first  met  as  a   religious 

body,  1 1 6. 

Root,  Rev.  David,  112. 
Rose,  Joel,  119. 
Rositar,  Mr.,  186. 
Rosse's  meadow,  77. 
Rossiter,  Col.  Abel,  149,  177,  178. 
Rossiter,  Benjamin,  119,  149. 
Rossiter,  Bray,  41. 
Rossiter,  Dr.  Bray,  26. 
Rossiter,  Bryan,  23,  41,  42. 
Rossiter,  Dr.    Bryan,    18,  61,   93,    123; 

joined  the  settlers  in  Guilford,   1 8  ; 

sworn  as  a  freeman,  1 8. 
Rossiter,  David  B.,  180. 
Rossiter,  Dr.,  93. 
Rossiter,  Joanna,  93. 
Rossiter,  Johannah,  19. 
Rossiter,  John,  24,  26. 
Rossiter,  John  R.,  119,  149,  180. 
Rossiter,  Josiah,  61,  72,  73,  74,  76,  77, 

78,  79,  123,    145,    160,  161,    162, 

182. 

Rossiter,  Mr.,  123,  182. 
Rossiter,  N.,  174,  175. 
Rossiter,  Nathaniel,  127,  145. 
Rossiter,  T.,   179. 
Rossiter,  Th"ophilus,  30,  119. 
Rossiter,  Deacon  Theophilus,  149. 
Rossiter,  Timothy,  149. 
Rossiter,  Wilbur  F.,  194. 
Rowe,  John,  188. 
Roxbury,  Conn.,  114. 


INDEX. 


Roxbury,   Mass.,  94. 

Ruggles,  Mr.,  characteristics  of,  94. 

Ruggles,  Nathaniel,  42,  169,  170,  171. 

Ruggles,  Dr.  Nathaniel,  105,  145. 

Ruggles,  Thomas,  104. 

Ruggles,  Thomas  jr.,  104. 

Ruggles,  Rev.  Thomas,  94. 

Ruggles,  Rev.  Thomas  jr.,  95. 

Russel,  Col.  Edward,  144. 

Russel,    Rev.    John,   116;   protector    of 

the  regicides,  116. 
Russel,  Mr.,    117. 
Russel,  Samuel,  116. 
Russel,  Rev.  Samuel,  116. 
Rutland,  Vt.,  118. 
Ruttawoo,  9  j  (East  river),  45,  65,  70,  73. 

Sabine,  William,  50. 

Sachem's    head,   43,    45,    46,    47,    49, 

83  ;  origin  of  the  name,  46  ;  house 

46  ;   destroyed  by  fire,  46. 
Sachem  squaw,  purchase  from  the,  65. 
Sag    Harbor,     49 ;     return    of    prisoners 

at,  49. 
St  Alban's  lodge  free  and  accepted  masons, 

188,  189  5  past  masters  of,  190. 
St.  John's  church,  no 

St.  John  the  Baptist,  feast  of,  to  be  kept, 

189. 
St.  John  the   Evangelist,  feast   of  to    be 

kept,   189. 
Salem,    Mass.,    14,    17,    92,    93,    in; 

Atheneum  at,  93. 
Salisbury,  32,  130. 
Sandemanian  sentiments,  102. 
Savage,  Abr'm,  189. 
Savage's  Winthrop's  New  England,  69. 
Sawpitts  farm,  92. 

Sawpitts,  granite  quarry  opened  at,  40. 
Sawpits-quarry  wharf,  45. 
Saxton,  Abel,  50. 
Saxton,  Simeon,  50. 


Say  brook,  10,  16,  21,  32,48,  65,42, 
69,  81,  85,  93,  142,  143,  181  ; 
fort,  14 ;  chaplain  at,  92. 

Schermerhorn,  J.  W.,   34. 

School,  districts,  83  ;  furniture,  manufac- 
ture of,  34. 

Scituate,  Mass.,  100. 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  1 34, 

Scotland,  one  of  the  nine  counsellors  of, 
120. 

Scranton,  Francis  S.,  193. 

Scranton,  Col.  Ichabod,  48. 

Scranton,  Jared,  149. 

Scranton,  John,  13,  24,  43,  156,  158, 
181,  186. 

Scranton,  Joseph  A.,  150. 

Scranton,  Samuel,  146. 

Scranton,  Thomas  Marvin,  193. 

Scriptures  acknowledged  as  the  rule  of 
procedure,  51. 

Seabrooke,  64. 

Sebequenach,  71. 

Second  Presbyserian  church  of  Philadel- 
phia, 100  j  Washington,  D.  C.,  114. 

Sergeant,  John,  28. 

Seward,  Amos,  3,  137,  146,  190. 

Seward,  Edwin  H.,  104. 

Seward,  Jason,   106. 

Seward,  Lieut.  John,   162,  163. 

Seward,  Mr.,  died,   20. 

Seward,  Rachel  Stone,   137. 

Seward  Timothy,  58. 

Seward,  William,  19,  24,  27,  104,  105, 
181,  187;  anecdote  related  of,  20. 

Seward,  Lieut.  Wm.,  41,  77,  78,  79, 
158,  160. 

Sewers,  Edward,  14,  15,  26,  27. 

Seymour,  138. 

Shakespear,  85,  134. 

Shambisqua,   75. 

Shaumpishuh,  sachem  squaw,  9,  35,  47, 
65,  72. 


2l6 


INDEX. 


Sheader,  John,  14,  24,  27,187. 

Sheafe,  Jacob,  89,  155;  moved  to  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  14. 

Sheldon,  Winthrop  D.,  85. 

Shells,  masses  of,  9. 

Shelly,  Shubel,  28. 

Shepard,  Mr.,  69. 

Shipman,  Elias,  42. 

Shirman,  John,  183. 

Sibley's  Harvard  graduates,  8 1,  93. 

Shoreline  Sentinel,  the,  35. 

Slocum,  John  P.,   85. 

Small  pox,  40. 

Smollett,  85. 

Smith,  Grace,  136. 

Smith,  Justin  W.,  42. 

Smith,  John,   136. 

Smith,  Judge,  138. 

Smith,  Lovine  (Hebert),  136. 

Smith,  Mary  D.,  137. 

Smith,  Mr.,  118. 

Smith,  R.  D.,  82. 

Smith,  Ralph  D.,  5,  83,  84,  144,  146, 
179,  1965  manuscript  left  by,  5. 

Smith,  Ralph  Dunning,  136—141;  his 
children,  137;  judge  of  probate 
court,  137;  manuscripts  left, 
140. 

Smith,  Richard,  136. 

Smith,  Richard  Edward,  137. 

Smith,  Sarah  Spencer,  137. 

Smith,  Tabor,  20. 

Smith,  Thomas,  23,  27. 

Smith,  Walter  Hebert,  137. 

Smith,  Rev.  William  S.,  85,  99. 

Soil,  richness  of  increased,  42. 

Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel 
in  Foreign  Parts,  108,  129. 

Some  Helpes  to  Stirre  up  to  Christian 
Duties,  etc.,  90. 

Somers,  97. 

Somers,  William,  died,  15. 


Somerset,  Henry,  Duke  of  Beaufort,  1 8 8. 

Sound,  the,  8,  9  ;  fine  prospect  of,  17. 

Southbury,  Conn.,  136, 137  ;  first  pastor 
of  the  church  in,  100. 

Southold,  Long  Island,  29,  52. 

South  Lane,  20,  21. 

Southmayd,  Miss  Dorcas,  98. 

Spencer,  Daniel  L.,  194. 

Spencer,  George  B.,  no,  180,  194, 

Spencer,  Henry  R.,  147. 

Spencer,  Miss  Lizzie,  195. 

Spencer,  Mrs.  Richard,  196. 

Spencer,  Samuel  C.,   146. 

Spencer  &  Sons,  34. 

Spencer,  William,  146,  190. 

Springfield,  29,  102. 

Sproat,  Dr.,  101,  102. 

Sproat,  Rev.  James,  D.D.,  100. 

Stamford,  28,  52,  54,  114;  annexed  to 
New  Haven,  152;  deputies  to  gene- 
ral court  from,  183. 

Stannard,  Henry  B.,  190. 

Stanton,  Dr.,  90. 

Stanton,  John  A.,  147. 

Staplehurst,  22. 

Starr,  Comfort,  28,  106. 

Starr,  Deacon  Comfort,  146. 

Starr,  Edward  C.,  104. 

Starr,  Jehosaphat,  28. 

Starr,  John  W.,  104. 

Starr,  Richard  W.,  194. 

Starr,  William,  106,  145. 

State  street,  28. 

Steiner,  Dr.  Lewis  H.,  137. 

Steiner,  Hon.  Lewis  H.,  142. 

Steuben  county,  N.  Y.,  105. 

Steuens,  John,  186. 

Stevens,  John,  14,  15,  24,  27. 

Stevens,  Nathaniel,  50. 

Stevens,  Samuel,  50. 

Stevens,  Thomas,  14,  15,  26,  27. 

Stevens,  William,  15,  24,  27. 


INDEX. 


Stiles,  President,  120,  121. 

Stiles's  History  of  the  Judges,  122,  123. 

Stillwater  brook,  45. 

Stillwell,  Elizabeth,  20. 

Stillwell,  Jasper,  13,  17,20,  25. 

Stockbridge,  32. 

Ston,  John,  187. 

Ston,  William,   187. 

Stone,  32. 

Stone,  Alvord  A.,  148. 

Stone,  Mrs.  A.  A.,  195. 

Stone,  Benjamin,  188. 

Stone,  Daniel,  50. 

Stone,  John,  12,  13,  25,  78,  79,  187. 

Stone,  Joseph,  164,^165. 

Stone,  Joshua,  30. 

Stone,  Josiah,   30. 

Stone,  Leverett  C.,  147. 

Stone,  Medad,  124. 

Stone,  N.,  171,  172. 

Stone,  Ens.  Nathaniel,  162. 

Stone,  Reuben,  146,  178,  179,  182. 

Stone,  Samuel,  37. 

Stone,  Sam  E.,  147. 

Stone,  Rev.  T.  D.  P.,  84. 

Stone,  Timothy,    104,    145,    166,    167, 

168,  169,   170. 
Stone,  Col.    Timothy,    105,    127,    144, 

145- 
Stone,    William,    12,    14,    15,    24,    27, 

37- 

Stone  house,  the  noted,  16;  description 
of,  1 6,  17;  first  marriage  celebrated 
in  it,  17;  stone  for,  brought  on 
hand-barrows  by  Indians,  17. 

Stonington,   39. 

Stony  creek,    7,  9,  26,  42,  65,  66,  73, 

74- 

Stratford,  129,  130. 
Strong,  Benj.,  166. 
Strong,  Lyman,  42. 
Stout,  Rev.  E.  F.,  in. 

28 


Stoughton,  Capt.  Israel,  69. 

Suffolk,   191. 

Suksqua,  70. 

Surrey,  90. 

Surry,  adventurers  from,  1 1. 

Swayne,  Mr.,   153. 

Syracuse,  98. 

Talcott,  Alvan,  42,  83,   84. 

Talcott,  Dr.  Alvan,  6,  82,  142. 

Talcott,  John,  48. 

Talman,  Ebenezer,  30,  37. 

Tallman,  Peter,  28,   164. 

Tapp,  Edward,   183. 

Taunton,  Mass.,   102. 

Taylor,  Bayard,  132. 

Taylor,  Mr.,  118. 

Tennent,  Gilbert,   101. 

Terryers,  book  of  the,  60. 

Terryville  in  Plymouth,  Conn.,  114. 

Texas,  16. 

Theological  seminary,  Princeton,  N.  J., 
113. 

Third  church,  deacons  of,  1 1 6. 

Third  Congregational  church,  in;  or- 
ganized, 112;  Guilford,  113,  115. 

Thomaston,  Conn.,  99. 

Thompson,  Frederick  S.,  85. 

Thompson,  Major,   17. 

Thompson,  Major  Robert,  92. 

Thompson's  heirs,  attorney  for,  92. 

Tibbals,  Abraham,  193. 

Tinkard,  Thos.,  29. 

Toby,  old,  101. 

Todd,  Jonathan,  174,  176;  A.M.,  pas- 
tor of  the  second  church  in  Guilford, 

95- 

Todd,  Dr.  Jonathan,  131. 
Todd,  Rev.    Jno.,  132. 
Todd,   William,   131,    144,    145,    177, 

178. 
Torrington,  Conn.,  113. 


218 


INDEX. 


Totoket,  or  Branford  mountain,  43  ;  one- 
eyed  squaw  of,  67  ;  purchased  from 
the  Indians,  153. 

Town,  list  of,  1825,  37;  mill,  35; 
meeting,  special,  41  ;  Records,  41  ; 
clerks,  list  of,  182. 

Travels,  57. 

Treat,  Robert,  48,  80. 

Trinity  college,  Hartford,  109. 

Trowbridge,  John,  122. 

Trowbridge,  Thomas,  75. 

Trout,  Toby,  193. 

Trubee,  Giles,  188. 

Trumbull,  Dr.,  21,  51,  90,  103. 

Tucker,  Charles,  193. 

Tuckshishoagg,  66,  67,  68,  69  ;  or  Tuxis 
pond,  10. 

Turner,  Rev.  Lawson,  in. 

Tuttle,  Hezekiah,  193. 

Tuttle,  Joel,  144,  146,  178,  182. 

Tuxis  pond,  62,  63;  or  Tuckshishoag 
pond,  10. 

Tyler,  Abraham,  48. 

Tyler,  William,  147. 

Uncas,  10,62,66,  67,  70,  71,  74 ;  sachem 
of  the  Mohegans,  46 ;  grant  of, 
62 ;  the  Mohegan,  63  ;  deed  of 
sale  from,  71  ;  his  mark,  72. 

Union,  Arkansas  territory,  117. 

Union  college,  118. 

Union  library,  86. 

Union  school  district,  83. 

Union  Theological  Seminary,  N.  Y., 
114,  115. 

United  States,  oldest  dwelling  house  stand- 
ing in,  16;  second  chief  justice,  114; 
senate, 1 28;  consul  tj  AsiaMinor,  136. 

United  Workers  for  Public  Improvement, 
38,  195,  196;  officers,  195,  196; 
Manuscript  of  the  History  of  Guil- 
ford  presented  to,  196. 


University  of  Illinois,  99. 
University  of  New  York,  113. 
Usher,  John,  93. 

Vaill,  Mr.,  119. 

Vaill,  Rev    William  Fowler,  117. 

Vermont,  1 1 8  ;  first  governor  of,  1 30. 

Verona,  N.  Y.,  33,  97. 

Village,  the,  size  and  form,  37. 

Wallingford,  7,  27,  99. 

Wantumbeourn,  70. 

Ward,  Andrew,  28,  163,  186,  169,  171, 

172,  173,  174,  182. 
Ward,  Andrew  jr.,  169. 
Ward,   Capt.    Andrew,    81,    145,    163, 

164. 

Ward,  Col.  Andrew,  48. 
Ward,  Gen.  Andrew,  127,  145. 
Ward,  Billious,  188,  190. 
Ward,  Edmund,   100,  104,  108,  169. 
Ward,  Gen.  48. 
Ward,  J.  Wilson,  85. 
Ward,  Samuel,  50. 
Ward,  Thelus,  50. 
Ward,  Timothy,  188. 
Ward,  Tryal,  28. 
Ward,  William,   168. 
Washington,    32,    124,    128,   136,  191,. 

192;  Second    Presbyterian  church, 

114. 

Washington,  Conn.,  108. 
Washington,  Gen.,  131. 
Waterbury,  8 1,  117;   Conn.,  First  Con- 
gregational church,  112. 
Waterhouse,  Eber,  188. 
Water  street,  18. 
Watertown,  98,  117. 
Weed,  William  E.,  194. 
Weekwosh,  10,  n,  64,  66,  67,  68,  69  ; 
the  Indian,  70;    the   purchase   from, 
69. 


INDEX. 


219 


Weld,  William  E.,  148. 

Welton,  Harvey  S.,  183. 

Wequash,  69. 

Weslyan  university,  in. 

Westfield,  32. 

West  Hartford,  114. 

West  Haven,  29,   129. 

West  India  trade,  34,  47. 

Westminster,  general  convention  held  at, 
131. 

Westmoreland,  N.  Y.,  33. 

Weston  (Easton)  academy,  137. 

West  river,    33,    34,36,    43,    45,    122, 

123. 

West  rock,  8. 

Wethersfield,  14,  28,  93,  116,  153. 
Wethersfield,  111.,  118. 
Wetmore,  Mr.,  129. 
Whalley,  Gen.,  122. 
Whalley,  Judge,  1 1 6. 
Whedon,  Luman,  82. 
Where    is    the    Lord    God    of  Elijah,  a 

funeral  sermon,  97. 
Whitcomb,  R.  W.,    in. 
White,  Horace,  Esq.,    112. 
Whitehall,  council  held  at,  120. 
Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  113. 
Whitfield,  Henry,  9,  12,  62,  65,  66,  68, 

69,  70,  89. 

Whitfield,  Henry  B.   D.,  90. 
Whitfield,  Rev.  Henry,  40,  116. 
Whitfield,  John,  25,    31,  91. 
Whitfield,  Mr.,  9,  10,  16,    17,    22,    25, 

32>  3S.5'.  62»  63»  64>  65,  80,  88, 
91,  92,  120,  121  ;  his  company,  56. 

Whitfield,  Nathaniel,  18,  25,27,32,91. 

Whitfield's  church,   121. 

Whitmore,  John,  i83r 

Whitmore,  Rev.  Zolva,  118. 

Whitney,  Eli,  130. 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf,  poem  by,  135. 

Wicks,  Rev.  Henry,  84,  99. 


Wilcox,  Almon  O.,  148. 

Wilcox,  John  R.,  144. 

Wilcox,  Josiah,  27. 

Wilcox,  William  T.,   147. 

Wilcoxon,  Obadiah,  27. 

Wildman,  Albert  B.,  147,    179,    180. 

Willard,  Julius,  42. 

Williams  college,  99. 

Williams,  Elisha,  A.M.,  rector  of  Yale 

college,  95. 
Willis,  N.  P.,  137. 
Williston,  Vt  ,  130. 
Wilmington,  N.  C.,  192. 
Wilson,  Edwin  H.,  85. 
Wilson,  Gen.  James  Grant,  133. 
Wilson,  Rev.  John,   142. 
Wilson,  Rev.  John  S.,    1 1 1. 
Wilson's  Halleck,  86. 
Winchester,  city  of,  90. 
Winchester,  Va.,   192. 
Windsor,  19,  27,  29,  41. 
Winthrop,  Gov.,   69. 
Winthrop's  New  England,  Savage's,  69. 
Wise,  Henry,  29. 
Wolcottville,  113. 
Wood,  Fanny  (Ellsworth),   114. 
Wood,  Rev.  George  Ingersoll,  1 14. 
Wood,  Hon.  Joseph,    114. 
Wood,  Mr.,  115. 

Wood,  kinds  now  to  be  found,  44. 
Woodruff,  Richard  H.,  194. 
Wright,  Benjamin,  14,  15. 
Wright,  Benj.  sen.,  24,  27. 
Wright,  Henry  Wm.,  193. 
Wymond,  Rev.  R.  W.,  in. 
Wyoming,  Pa.,   137. 

Yale  college,  94,  95,  96,  97,  98,  99, 
joo,  101,  102,  108,  109,  114,  115- 
116,  117,  118, 119,  128,  132,  136 
173. 

Yale  theological  seminary,  115. 


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